To Fight for Honor
by Jess189
Summary: When Katara overhears a terrible plot by the Fire Nation she is forced to disguise herself as a Fire Nation Soldier and join them to put a stop to their horrible plan. But will Zuko discover her secret before she has a chance? ZukoXKatara
1. An Unexpected Meeting

Chapter One

Katara yawned and rolled over in her sleeping bag.

"Come on Katara get up! We're going into town to get supplies today!"

Katara groaned and slowly opened one eye to glare at the eccentric boy dancing around her in excited circles.

"Aang it's barely evening dawn. Why are you so excited to go to town anyway?" She muttered, closing her eyes again and hoping against hop that he would let her go back to sleep.

Aang stopped his crazy dance and dropped to his knees next to Katara's head. He bent over so that he was right next to her ear. He glanced over his shoulder as if he expected someone to be spying on him. "I hear," he whispered, turning back to her, "that the rare Bujkon bear has been spotted passing by the edge of town. All the animals I've rode in my entire life don't even come close to how completely amazing this would be! I _have_ to find it!"

Katara sighed and opened her eyes. She was clearly not going to get any more sleep that day. "Ok fine, I'm up. But if I have to get up then Sokka does to."

Sokka rolled over so that his back was to them and purposefully pulled the blanket up over his head.

Aang grieved mischievously and crept slowly towards him. Suddenly with a great yell he shot a blast of ice cold air at Sokka, causing his covers to go flying through the air and land several yards away on Appa's back.

Sokka yelped and leapt up. "Hey! What's the big idea! I'm sleeping here!"

Katara laughed. "Come on you two. We better get started if we're going. It's a long walk to the town and I don't think it would be wise to take Appa. He's exhausted from last nights flight anyway."

"What!" Sokka wrapped his arms around his growling stomach, "No breakfast?"

"No breakfast." Katara said firmly. "We'll eat when we get there."

"Aw man!" Sokka groaned but turned and, grudgingly, followed Aang and Katara into the forest and towards the town.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they arrived. Sokka's stomach was growling so loudly that it sounded like a giant bear was following them. Finally the tress parted and they could see the town clearly. It was set on the edge of the ocean with lots of harbors full of fishermen hauling in their catch for the day. Rows and rows of shops and houses lined the streets and they could smell the scent of fish cooking over an open fire outside one of the stores.

Sokka took one look at the cooking fish and was off like a shot, racing for the store with his money already in his outstretched hand.

Katara glanced at Aang. "Where you are going first?" she asked. She was in a much better mood now that they had finally reached the town. She had already spotted several stores that promised interesting surprises inside.

"To the other side of town!" Aang cried eagerly, whipping out his glider. "I'm going to find that bear if it takes me all day."

"Well good luck with that." Katara said. "I'm going to look in some of these shops and then I'll go buy us more supplies. Meet me back here when the sun starts to set. And tell Sokka to do the same. If you can ever get him away from his food that is." She added as she looked over to where Sokka was currently haggling with an old man over the price of salmon.

"Ok." Aang answered, launching himself into the air. Katara watched him until he disappeared from sight then turned and headed for the nearest shop. It had strange markings above the door that she didn't recognize. They looked almost like the symbol she had once seen a Fire Nation soldier wearing but she shook her head. _That's crazy. What would fire nation soldiers be doing here?_ She pulled open the door and heard a soft Ting! above her as a bell rang.

The shop was dark and gloomy. The only source of light, aside from the small window in the main door, were a couple lit candles set on various shelves. As Katara looked around she felt a slight shiver run down her spine. _I shouldn't be in here._ The thought came out of nowhere. Katara tried to brush it off as nothing but an uneasy feeling hung over her as she began to glance at the shelves. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary in here, the usual food and supplies that most other shops had, a couple little trinkets and some jewelry. Katara walked over to examine a row of necklaces resting against a red silk cloth on one of the shelves. She ran her fingertips gently along the smooth metal of one. Her eyes drifted down the shelf. Suddenly her breath seemed to catch in her throat. There. At the very end of the shelf. Katara reached a trembling hand towards it to pull it closer. As she got a clearer view of it, however, her heart sank and she felt tears spring into her eyes. It was a blue necklace with tiny white diamonds along the edges. It was very pretty but it was not what she hoped for. When she had first glimpsed it she had thought for the briefest of seconds that it was her necklace, her mother's, that she had lost and that had somehow fallen into the hands of Prince Zuko.

She blinked the tears quickly from her eyes. _It was a silly hope anyway. I'll probably never see my necklace again. _Sadness filled the pit of her stomach. She sighed and turned slowly to leave.

"Going somewhere?"

Katara gasped in shock and jolted backwards slightly. Her blood turned to ice as she looked up to see Prince Zuko standing directly in front of her, his face only inches from hers. She stared at him, to shocked to move. _How did he sneak up on me?_ The part of her brain that was still functioning asked. _What am I going to do?_

He smirked. "I'm sorry," he said sarcastically, "did I startle you?"

"W-what are you doing here?" she managed to gasp. A vision of Aang suddenly flashed through her head and her mind seemed to clear. "_Why_ are you here? You haven't….!" Her cheeks flushed in anger as she debated whether to ask about Aang or not. If he had been caught then it wouldn't really matter but if he hadn't she couldn't let Prince Zuko know that he was here with her.

Prince Zuko laughed slightly. It was not a pleasant sound. "Your friend is safe for the moment if that's what you mean. In fact I didn't even come here to look for the Avatar. We stopped for…supplies. But what a nice bonus that will be leave with supplies _and _the Avatar. I would call that a day well spent, wouldn't you?"

Katara glared at him, the anger apparent in her eyes. "You can search all you want. You'll never find him."

"Is that so?" His smirk was really beginning to get on Katara's nerves. "I don't time to fool around so let me put it simply. You have two choices. Either tell me where the Avatar is and you leave here unharmed. Choose not to tell me and, well, let's just say that it won't be pleasant."

"No!" Katara spat defiantly, hatred filling her. "I will _never_ tell you where he is!"

"Come on." Prince Zuko said, his voice dropping slightly. "There must be something you want. Jewels? Riches? Tell me where he is and it's yours. What have you got to lose?"

"How about someone I care about? Nothing could ever be worth more than that." She crossed her arms.

"Fine." Zuko spat, suddenly standing up straight, and fire began to glow in his hand. "I guess we'll have to do it the hard way." He took a step towards Katara. She quickly stepped back but felt her stomach turn over as she realized that her back was now against the shelf and there was no place for her to run. She stared up at him, her eyes wide. She tried to mask the fear she felt as he stepped even closer but she was sure it must be apparent in her eyes.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," he hissed, his eyes flashing, "Where is the Avatar?"

"I'm not telling you." Katara whispered, her gaze shifting to his glowing hands.

Without warning he struck. His left hand swung at her suddenly, the fire in his hand going out only seconds before it would have burned her face. Before she could even react his arm had smashed into her, knocking her against the shelf with a dull thud. Katara gave a cry of pain as she felt the shelf jab into her back. Prince Zuko stared angrily at her, never relaxing the arm that now pinned her against the cabinet.

"Where is the Avatar!" He practically screamed at her but at just that moment there was a loud crash from the back of the store and she felt his arm relax slightly as he turned for a split second to see what had happened. It was the opening she had been looking for. While his attention was diverted she brought her knee up as hard as she could into his stomach and at the same time shoved with all her might. Caught off guard, he staggered back a few steps. Katara threw herself sideways, rolling to avoid him as he lunged forward to try to stop her. She rolled for a second, then regained her balance and, springing to her feet, raced as fast as she could towards the door. _I knew this shop was trouble!_ Her mind screamed as she ran.

She heard her pursuer's steps pounding behind her. She gasped for air, her lungs bursting. Suddenly the door loomed in front of her. She reached for the grimy silver door handle and as she did so snuck a quick glance over her shoulder. Prince Zuko was only feet behind her. She jerked the door open, hoping against hope that he didn't follow her outside. Perhaps the crowded street would be enough to persuade him to let her go, though she doubted it. If he was here then other fire nation soldiers must be as well and they could care less about who their leader attacked or where.

To her surprise and utter relief, however, Prince Zuko halted as she burst through the door into the now blinding sunlight. She laughed out loud in relief when she realized that she was no longer being chased but still continued to run until she was well away from the shop. Finally, when she couldn't run any farther, she slowed to a walk and held her side as she tried to catch her breath. She couldn't refrain from constantly looking over her shoulder to check for any signs of Fire Nation soldiers but she saw none.

"Katara! There you are!" Katara whirled around in surprise, expecting another attack. She felt relief wash over her as she saw that it was only Sokka, looking very pleased after a nice lunch of fried salmon.

"Sokka." She stopped and let him catch up to her. "We have to leave. Right away. Where's Aang?"

"I don't know." Sokka answered with a shrug. "I haven't seen him since we arrived. What's wrong?"

Katara hesitated. Did she really want to tell Sokka that she had been attacked by Prince Zuko? It would only make him angry and he would probably try to go looking for him, wanting to fight. And though she didn't like to admit it, Sokka was no match for Prince Zuko.

"There are Fire Nation soldiers here." She said finally, deciding that what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "I think we better get out as soon as we can." She felt a pang of worry at the thought of Aang off by himself. _I hope he's ok._

"Well what should we do?" Sokka asked. "Surely we can take a few Fire Nation soldiers."

"No." Katara said firmly. "We have to go. Ok I have an idea. I'll search this area of town and you search the other side. Look at the edges, near the forest especially. Aang said he was looking for some kind of bear. We'll meet back here after we've made our first round and see if either of us found him. If not then we'll trade sides and look again."

"Fine but I better not have to fight any bears." Sokka said grumpily. Katara rolled her eyes and the two separated and headed off in there own direction.


	2. Secret Plans

Chapter Two

Katara groaned and sat down heavily on a barrel standing behind an old abandoned building. _If I had realized how big this side of town was I wouldn't have suggested exploring the entire thing myself._ She thought grumpily. Her feet were killing her. She had been walking for well over an hour and there was still no sign of Aang. She hadn't even made it around her side of town yet. She absent mindedly rubbed the back of her legs, trying to get them to stop hurting so bad.

"No. She got away but it isn't that important. Once our plan is set into action then we will no longer have to worry about the Avatar."

Katara froze, her heart leaping into her throat. The all too familiar voice of Prince Zuko drifted out from inside the old building that Katara was sitting behind. She listened closely, hardly daring to breath.

"Whatever you say Prince Zuko." Katara recognized the second voice to be that of the old man that traveled with Prince Zuko. _What was his name? Iroh?_

She heard footsteps and realized they were walking farther away; she could no longer make out what they were saying. _What were they talking about? _A feeling of unease filled her as she thought back to the banished Prince's words. _I've got to find out. Aang could be in danger!_

She stood up slowly, trying not to make any noise that would draw their attention to her. She saw a broken window above her head and realized that was how she was able to hear their voices so clearly. She slowly raised her head until she could just see in. The room in front of her was bare except for an overturned table and a chair with one leg broken off. Everything was gray looking from lack of light and covered with dust and cobwebs. She noticed a two pairs of footprints in the dust going across the room and out the door into another, larger room. She could just make out a flight of stairs in the larger room and she assumed the two had climbed them.

"I have to get up there." She muttered to herself. Glancing around, she crept around to the other side of the old house. There was another broken window on that side. Katara peeked in. She could see the stairs against the opposite wall. She could now see underneath them and was surprised to see that there was a cupboard with a tiny door that was shut. She had assumed that there was simply an open space beneath them but now as she gazed at the tiny cupboard a plan began to form in her mind.

Casting one more glance around to make sure that no one was watching Katara slowly swung her leg up over the window sill. She pulled herself up until she was sitting on the edge. She kept her head low to avoid the sharp pieces of broken glass that were still hanging from the top two panes of glass. She slid carefully in until she felt her feet touch the ground. Dropping silently to the floor she crept across the room to the stairs. She hesitated when she came to the cupboard. In a building as old as this the door was sure to be rusted and would probably squeak when she opened it. She hadn't planned on that. _Maybe I should just go back._

THUMP. THUMP. Katara jerked, startled and realized with a thrill of horror that someone was approaching the front of the building. Suddenly a shadow appeared outside the front door and she could just make out the figure of a person reaching for the door knob. Katara spun around and grabbed the door to the cupboard. It was either this or be caught by whoever was outside. She wretched the door opened. It groaned in protest but swung open enough for her to slide inside where she quickly shut it tightly behind her. Glancing down her eyes fell upon an old rusted latch. She quickly latched it, feeling slightly more relaxed. Maybe if the door was locked it would discourage anyone from trying to get it.

She was not a moment to soon. Just then the front door flew open and Katara could hear heavy footsteps as someone entered.

"General Gonju. I'm glad you could make it." Prince Zuko's voice floated down from the top of the stairs. She heard his lighter footsteps as he came down them. He crossed the room to where the other man was standing.

"I don't have much time. My men are anxious to be off. We have orders from Admiral Zhao to be back at the Fire Nation in three days time." General Gonju's voice was low and cracked. "What is this so called plan that you have come up with? It had better be worth my time."

"Oh don't worry." Zuko answered smugly, "It is." Katara heard him begin to pace the room. "I'll get right to the point. There is something I need very much. It is a weapon that until now was only heard of in legends; however I have word from a reliable source that it does, in fact, exist. It has tremendous power that, in the right hands, could render the Avatar helpless. It would completely destroy his powers. However, I need help to get it. Help from someone who would be very, _very_ richly rewarded."

"What would I have to do?" General Gonju asked suspicion apparent in his voice.

"I need supplies. From inside the Fire Nation. This…item is locked away in a temple on an uninhabited island. Only Fire Nation soldiers can enter but if I were to _borrow_ some of their supplies I could use them to get inside."

"I see." There was a pause. "Fine. I will get you your supplies but if Admiral Zhao finds out my intentions I will tell him everything I know."

"Then make sure he doesn't." Prince Zuko hissed. "I leave tomorrow. One of my soldiers will meet you at the Fire Nation's border at dusk in three days. I'm training new recruits to take with me to the Temple for protection. I don't quite trust my men. They are not devoted to me."

"I will be there. But if I do not get my reward then you will be getting some unwanted attention from Admiral Zhao."

"It will be there." Zuko snapped. Katara heard footsteps as General Gonju crossed the room and left, slamming the door behind him.

"Come Uncle!" Zuko called up the stairs. "We must get the new recruits on the ship. I don't want to waste any time."

"As you wish. But perhaps we could stop for some tea first?" Iroh asked, coming down the stairs.

"Uncle!"

"Just asking."

There was a slam and then all was quite. Katara opened the door and stepped out from her hiding place, her head spinning. _What am I going to do?_

A/N: Sorry if it's taking a little while to get started but it should pick up soon.


	3. Silent Goodbyes

Chapter Three

"Katara are you crazy! You could have been caught or worse burned to death!" Sokka shouted as he stomped angrily around the camp. After sneaking out of the building, in case any more Fire Nations soldiers were around, Katara had run into Sokka who had finally found Aang, unharmed, at the edge of the village. They had gone back to the forest where they were currently residing and now night was falling. Katara had just finished telling them everything she had overheard. Aang looked mildly worried and Sokka was beside himself with anger. He claimed it was because Katara had put herself in mortal danger but Katara figured he was just mad he hadn't been there to kick some Fire Nation butt.

"Well I'm ok now and that's what matters right?" Katara asked huffily, dropping a piece of wood onto the fire. It sizzled then burst into flames. Watching it, Katara let her mind wander back to the conversation she had overheard between Prince Zuko and General Gonju. The uneasy feeling returned to her. "I think the question we should be asking is what are we going to do now?"

Sokka stopped pacing and plopped down in front of the fire. The anger disappeared from his face and was replaced by concern.

"We can't let the Fire Nation get their hands on whatever this _thing_ is." Katara said worriedly.

"Well you said that they always thought it was just a legend, right?" Sokka said.

"Yes but-"

Sokka cut her off, "So as far as we know it probably _is_ just a legend."

"Yeah Katara." Aang spoke up for the first time. "What kind of weapon or whatever it is could be powerful enough to take away someone's bending skills? I think it's just an old legend. Who knows? Maybe it was just a story that parents used to scare their kids when they misbehaved."

"But Prince Zuko said-" Katara sighed to herself as she was interrupted yet again.

"Well whether it's real or not, the important thing is that Aang finishes his training. That's the only way that we can win this war so we might as well just forget all about this weapon nonsense and concentrate on getting to the North Pole." Sokka crossed his arms, a sign that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned.

Katara sighed again and gave up. There was no point in arguing when he was like this.

"It'll be ok Katara. Don't worry." Aang smiled up at her. Katara couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah I guess." She answered but she didn't mean it.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm going to bed." Sokka said yawning.

"Yeah me too." Aang answered.

Later that night after the fire had been put out and the moon was shining brightly in the sky, Katara lay awake staring at the stars. _I just can't forget about what I heard. No matter how hard I try it keeps coming back to me. What if this thing really does exist? I've got to do something. _She stood up and crept quietly away from their camp. _Maybe a walk will clear my head._

She wrapped her arms around her to ward off the cold night air. The steady rhythm of her feet as she moved helped her to think more clearly. She replayed the scene in the old abandoned house over and over in her mind. Suddenly she stopped short. Something Prince Zuko had said, something she had forgotten about, had just surfaced in her memory.

_I leave tomorrow. I'm training new recruits to take with me to the Temple for protection. _

Slowly an idea began to form in her head.

"No! That's stupid! It would never work." She scolded herself out loud. But the idea wouldn't go away.

_What if I…_ she hesitated, knowing that the instant she allowed the thought to surface then there would be no turning back.

_What if I went as a Fire Nation soldier?_ Her heart raced at the very thought. A Fire Nation soldier. Their sworn enemies. To be one of them, how could she? Yet…..

_It's the only way to save Aang._ She realized. Sokka couldn't go, he would never agree to it and besides, Prince Zuko would recognize him instantly. Aang, that would defiantly never work.

"But no one would suspect me." She whispered. "If…if I were to disguise myself….I could watch them, listen to them, find out what's going on. And…and I could stop Prince Zuko from getting his hands on whatever this weapon is." She sat down beneath a tree, her mind reeling. "But Aang and Sokka will never agree to it." She remembered Sokka's refusal to even believe that this thing might exist.

She thought for a minute then the solution came to her. She didn't like it but it was the only option she had. _I won't tell them. I'll leave a note for them. They won't realize I've gone until it's too late._

She sat there for what seemed like forever, thinking everything over, wondering if she had the courage to go through with it. Finally she stood up and walked determinedly back towards the camp. When she arrived she checked to make sure both boys were still sound asleep. Then she carefully scrawled out a note on the back of the water bending scroll in her bag. She tucked it gently under Aang's arm. He groaned and Katara froze but he simply rolled over and went back to sleep.

Finally Katara gathered just enough food for breakfast the next morning, her sleeping bag, and a pair of Sokka's pants. She slid Sokka's knife out of his satchel. He had bought it at the last village and had taken to carrying it around with him.

"Sorry Sokka." Katara whispered as she turned to leave. "I'll bring it back in one piece. I promise." Then she swept silently into the forest.

She walked until she could see the bridge that led to into the town they had visited earlier. She wanted to be close to the Fire Nation ship so she would be ready the next morning but far enough away so as not to be spotted. She rolled out her sleeping bag and sat her stuff beside it. She sat down on it and gazed towards the town. Slowly she slid Sokka's knife out of her bag. The light caught the blade and for an instant she could see her reflection in it. Her long hair hung down her back. Her eyes lingered on it, sadness filling her. It had taken her entire life to grow her hair this long. She shook her head and turned the knife so she couldn't see herself anymore.

She lifted her hair with one hand, the knife in the other. Then before she had a chance to change her mind, she sliced through it. It fell to the forest floor, a long silky rope of black. She kept sawing at the ends with the knife so that it hung raggedly just above her shoulders. She cut the sides until they swept over her eyes, creating bangs that hid her eyes so that she would be hard to recognize.

After she had finished she let her hand drop to her lap. Then when shaking hands she raised it slowly to her face again. She hesitated, the blade only inches from her pale skin. _Maybe I'm going too far. Is it really worth all this just to spy on the Fire Nation while they chase after something that might not even exist? _An image of Aang floated through her head. _The world needs Aang. They need the Avatar. It's worth it._

She sat there frozen for an instant then suddenly slashed out with the knife, bringing the tip slicing across her cheek. She cried out in pain and felt warm blood trickle down her face and onto her dress. Gingerly she felt the cut with her free hand, wincing as her fingers brushed the open wound. _I had to do it._ She thought sadly. _No one will recognize me now. Especially after it scars._

She cut a strip from the bottom of her dress and pressed it against the wound. She lay down on her sleeping and closed her eyes. She didn't think she would be able to sleep, not tonight, but her exhaustion got the best of her and before she knew it she was waking up to the dawn's first light.


	4. No Turning Back

Chapter Four

When Katara opened her eyes the sun was just beginning to rise. _Where am I?_ She thought groggily. She sat up and felt a sharp pain in her face. Confused she touched it and her fingers felt the cloth from her dress that was now caked with dried blood. Everything suddenly came back to her and she looked around, afraid that she had missed the ship. She relaxed as her gaze spotted its giant steel frame still sitting in the town's harbor.

She glanced up at the sky. _I had better get ready. It'll be light soon and I have no idea how early they're going to leave._

She stood and stretched. Her muscles were sore from sleeping on the hard ground. She opened her bag and pulled out the pants she had taken from Sokka. She pulled them on under her dress then quickly pulled her dress over her head and slipped into his shirt. It was an old brown one he never wore. She wasn't even sure why he bought it in the first place. But it was baggy on her and she was grateful. She checked her reflection in the knife. No one would be able to tell that she was a girl. Granted, she was a very strange looking boy but it was a risk she would have to take. It was the best she could do.

"Come on! I don't have all day!"

Katara jumped as Prince Zuko's voice filtered through the clearing. She looked up to see him pacing in front of his ship, barking orders at the crew. A group of boys about her age were standing on the dock watching him.

"Look if you're here to be trained as a Fire Nation soldier then line up!" Zuko barked.

Katara leaped up leaving her bag where it was. "I guess I'm going without breakfast today." She muttered. She slid Sokka's knife into her pocket. She took of through the forest, headed for the dock. As she ran, however, her cut gave a painful throb and she remembered the cloth that was still stuck to it. She reached up and pulled at it but let go instantly as pain shot through her body.

Her eyes widened. _The blood must have bonded it to my skin when it dried!_ She heard Prince Zuko shout again and wondered what she should do. Finally she pulled the knife out and cut off all the fabric except what was stuck. It would have to do for now. Maybe later she would be able to soak it off.

She stopped running when she reached the edge of the dock. Prince Zuko was busy barking orders at one of his men and didn't notice her arrival. She quickly slipped into line beside a scrawny boy with tousled brown hair. He glanced at her then turned back around.

Finally Prince Zuko turned to face the boys lined up in front of him. Katara took deep breathes to keep her heart from hammering out of her chest.

"All right!" he shouted impatiently. "We don't have much time. I will have to train you as we go. We are headed for the Fire Nation. We will arrive there in three days then we will set a course for an island. It will take a while to get to this island. Long enough for you to train. Those that have passed their training will accompany me to the island. What we are going to do there is none of your business. You simply follow orders. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." A couple boys answered. The rest, including Katara, just stared at him.

"This is an honor for you. You should be grateful." He went on. "You have been chosen to fight and maybe even become soldiers to the Fire Nation. We will become strong and we will conquer this land! The Fire Nation will rule all!"

A couple boys cheered but fell silent when Prince Zuko glared at them. "Now, I will choose those who will go with me to begin their training and those who are not fit for this kind of challenge."

Katara bit her lip. She hadn't realized that not everyone would be going. _What if I'm not picked?_

Prince Zuko walked down the line looking each boy over carefully. Some he nodded his approval of but others he shook his head and they left. Katara took slow, deep breathes as he got closer to her. _I'll have to face him sometime or other. I might as well get it over with._

He gestured for the boy in front of her to leave. "You'll never be a soldier. You're pitiful." He spat. Then he turned his gaze to Katara.

She stared straight into his eyes, keeping her face blank of any emotion. His eyes traveled down her body then back up again. They came to rest on her face and for a second Katara wondered if he had recognized her.

"What is that?" he asked sharply. She realized he was pointing to the cut that still had fabric clinging to it.

"A cut." She answered, making her voice deeper than normal.

He continued to look at it then without warning his hand shot forward and he ripped the fabric off. Katara gasped, the pain was terrible. Fresh blood began to flow down her face again. She instinctively raised her hand to the stinging wound but he grabbed her wrist before she could touch it. His grip was strong and she felt like her arm was breaking.

Katara set her mouth in a firm line and stared at him unblinkingly. _I will _not _cry._ She thought determinedly.

"You think that hurt?" he hissed at her. "Then you don't know the meaning of pain." He jerked his head, motioning for her to follow the rest of the boys onto the ship.


	5. Fight to Win

A/N: The time in this Chapter passes quickly because I want to get to the good part and I don't want to bore you with meaningless details. I hope the way I wrote it doesn't take away from the story. Tell me what you think.

Chapter Five

The next three days were a blur of pain for Katara. She wasn't sure what exactly happened. Her mind was too clouded to think straight. All she knew was that everyday was filled with new torturous training routines. They trained from dawn to dusk, their only breaks for lunch and diner. Katara wore the armor that they had all been given all the time except for when she slept.

The first time she had come to lunch wearing it the other boys had laughed. Why would someone wear their armor to lunch? It was crazy.

That had quickly changed when Prince Zuko arrived. He had cast a glance at Katara and then at the laughing boys.

"Why aren't the rest of you wearing your armor?" he asked coldly. They all stared at him in confusion.

"Why should we?" One of the braver boys spoke up. "What's so dangerous about going to lunch?" Someone snickered. Prince Zuko's eyes flashed. He motioned for the boy to come forward and stand beside Katara. Without warning he struck out with his hands, hitting both Katara and the boy in the stomach. His blow caused Katara to stagger a few steps where she quickly regained her balance but the boy who was not wearing armor fell to the floor clutching his stomach.

"That's what." Prince Zuko snapped and walked away.

Now, three days later, Katara awoke to shouts from the deck. Apparently they had reached the Fire Nation. Her heart skipped a beat. The Fire Nation. _That means he'll be picking up whatever it was he needs to get to the Temple on the island. _She dressed quickly and raced up to the deck.

When they had docked Prince Zuko turned to face his men. "Everyone except my Uncle is to wait on the ship for my return. No one is to follow me. It creates too much of a risk of being seen and we want to keep this visit as quiet with possible."

Katara's stomach dropped. _How can I spy on him if he doesn't take us with him? _She wondered if she should sneak after him. But she would almost certainly be caught. _I'll wait until we reach the island. I can spy on him here, maybe even sneak into his room and see what these items are._ She turned around and went back to her room where she spent the rest of the day catching up on the sleep she had been denied during their long training practices. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.

That, however, proved to be impossible.

The next day the crew found themselves already back at sea when they awoke. Prince Zuko had returned sometime during the night and had set sail while they were asleep. He was wasting no time in getting to the Temple.

Katara woke feeling refreshed from her long sleep from the day before. She stretched and got dressed, pulling her armor over her clothes. As she was slipping it on she was surprised to see that her arms and legs were starting to show defined muscles. She had been so intent on spying on Prince Zuko, or trying to anyway, that she hadn't noticed that she was becoming stronger. _Maybe I'll even be able to beat Sokka in a fight when all this is over._ She thought with a smile.

She walked down the narrow corridor that led to the training room. The only sources of light in the hallways were tiny flickering candles that cast eerie shadows across the walls. When she reached the end of the corridor she reached out and pushed open the heavy wooden door. It had the Fire Nation symbol on it like most everything else on the ship. It always made her shudder to see it. She couldn't wait to get off this ship. She wondered what Aang and Sokka were doing. _I hope they're not too worried about me. I hope they're all right. Oh Sokka. I never thought I'd say this but I miss you and Aang so much._

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she entered. Being alert was the key to surviving training. As she looked around the room her high spirit sank. There were no practice dummies, or anything else for that matter, in the room. This could only mean one thing. They would be fighting Prince Zuko.

"Alright." The familiar voice came from along the back wall. "Now that we are finally all here," he paused to glare at Katara, "we can begin. Today you will be fighting me again. May I remind you that we have tried this twice before and both times I have beaten you all." He sneered at them. "Perhaps you're not as strong as you might think."

_Maybe if you weren't a Fire Bender we might have a chance._ Katara thought angrily. _None of us have bending skills except me, and I can't use them._ She shook her head again. _What do I care though? This is only a cover._

"Begin!" Zuko shouted suddenly and without warning struck the boy nearest to him. The boy was on the ground before he even knew what had hit him. The others quickly charged Prince Zuko only to be driven back by a wall of fire seconds later.

Katara hung back watching them try and fail over and over to get anywhere near the flame throwing Prince. She wasn't scared to fight him, they had twice before, but it seemed pointless to keep charging him like that. She circled around watching the fight in front of her. Another boy was hurled across the room. _What would it be like..._ Katara wondered _To beat him?_ Adrenaline began to course through her veins. His smirking face filled her mind as she thought back to when he had attacked her in the shop and when he had thrown her to the ground during training. She would give almost anything to see his face if it were _him_ that got thrown to the ground for a change.

She wasn't sure what made her do it but before she knew it she had circled behind Zuko. She crouched behind him so that she was in his blind spot. He was to busy fighting the others to pay attention. She was practically invisible. She waited until he was in the middle of an attack then suddenly she sprang.

The impact of her blow knocked him off his feet. He crashed to his knees in complete shock, the smug look slipping from his face. He whirled to see where this new attack had come from. The others boys stepped back, sensing his anger. Katara stood glaring at him, her arms raised in attack position. Something flashed in his eyes. Then suddenly a small smirk broke out on his face. It was clear that despite the fact that he had been shamed in front of his trainees, he was glad for some real competition.

They circled each other slowly, neither one making a move. Then Prince Zuko sprang at her. She rolled out of the way but just barely. A fire ball whizzed by her left ear. Katara reached out and grabbed his ankle, yanking it with all her strength. For a second he was thrown of balance. That was all the time she needed. Jumping up she aimed a blow that connected with his stomach. She dodged a kick and tried to hit him again but this time she was not as lucky. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to punch him in the face, forcing her arm behind her back. He twisted it until she was almost on her knees, gasping in pain. She struggled but it was pointless, his grip was to strong. Then when she thought that she couldn't take the pain anymore he flipped her over. She landed hard on her back, knocking the breath out of her. He dropped to the ground and planted one knee firmly against her stomach.

Katara stared up at him, gasping for breath. Her lip was cut and bleeding and sweat was dripping down her face. Yet as she lay there staring up at him she couldn't help but notice his eyes. Something about them held her spellbound.

Then he was standing up and to her surprise he held out one hand to help her up. She stared at him in shock for a second then slowly reached out to take his hand. It felt warm against her own.

"You fight well." He said as he pulled her to her feet then turned and walked out of the room.


	6. Passion

Chapter Six

Four days passed without anything significant happening. Katara followed the same routine of training everyday and lay awake thinking of Sokka and Aang at night. Her dreams were filled with nightmares of them hurt or captured by Fire Nation soldiers.

That night Katara lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. _If I don't get some sleep I'll be exhausted at training tomorrow._ She told herself but she still tossed and turned.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Katara sat upright with a start. She realized suddenly that she didn't have her armor on. She scrambled for it, it was the only way to hider her not so subtle curves.

She didn't have a chance to find it, however. Suddenly the door flew open to reveal to Zuko but Aang standing there. Katara gaped at him, too stunned to move.

"Aang!" she gasped finally. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Katara…" Aang croaked, his voice weak and feeble. He fell to his knees on the floor.

"Aang! What happened! Are you alright!" Katara leaped out of her bed and raced to where he was. The color seemed to be draining from his face as she watched,

Suddenly a dark shape appeared behind them.

"So." Hissed a cold voice. Prince Zuko stepped into the light. "I should have known it was you. But it's to late now. I have captured your precious Avatar and now you will watch him die!"

"No!" Katara screamed, throwing herself at Zuko, but invisible hands seemed to catch her from behind. She couldn't breath, couldn't think. Zuko was laughing, his laughter was so horrible. She closed her eyes but the laughter seemed to fill her head, ringing in her ears. "Aang! No! Aang!"

With an earsplitting scream Katara sat bolt upright in bed. The covers were tangled around her and she was drenched in sweat. She looked around, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The room was empty.

"A dream!" she almost sobbed in relief, a tear sliding down her face, "It was only a dream." Her breath slowly became even again as her racing heart slowed.

At that moment Prince Zuko was walking along the corridor of the ship, headed for the deck. He couldn't sleep. The same nightmares about the day he had been banished from the Fire Nation were haunting his dreams. He guessed it was because he was so close to capturing the Avatar. Suddenly he heard a strangled scream from inside one of soldier's rooms. He froze, listening intently.

"Aang!" a voice cried. "Aang!"

Prince Zuko felt his stomach turn over. _Aang!_ At first he was too shocked for this information to register. "The Avatar!" he whispered in complete amazement.

"Aang! No!" the voice cried again. A voice that sounded familiar. Very familiar. Suddenly his eyes widened as he realized just where he had heard that voice before. It couldn't be! Could it?

THUMP THUMP THUMP! Katara jumped as a loud pounding came suddenly from outside her door. She froze, her mind flashing back to Aang's pale face but then she heard Prince Zuko's voice and realized that she was truly awake.

"What happened? What's going on in there?" he called sharply through the door. "Open up!"

Katara realized that she wasn't wearing her armor and this was no dream. She had to get it on. "Hold on!" she called frantically, forgetting to make her voice deeper. She threw herself out of bed and reached for the armor that lay on her dresser. But she never reached it.

The door flew open, banging into the wall with a loud crack. Prince Zuko stood framed in the doorway staring at her. As soon as he saw her he knew that he had not been mistaken. This was not a soldier but the water bending girl!

For a second both stared at each other, to shocked to do anything. Suddenly with a cry Zuko kicked out, aiming a fire ball at Katara. She gasped and dropped to the ground to avoid it, her training kicking in. She sprang to her feet but his rage made him an almost unbeatable enemy. Before she could get her balance he had her pinned to the wall, his hand circling painfully around her throat.

"I should have known it!" he hissed. "I thought there was something strange about you the day I saw you at the docks!" His eyes flashed. "Why did you come here!" He was shouting now. He tightened his hold and Katara began to cough and gasp for air. "Did you have fun humiliating me in front of my men? Did you have a good laugh when I congratulated you on your fighting skills!"

Katara's eyes were watering. She pulled desperately at his hands but it was useless. "Please," she choked out, "I can't breathe!"

"Why should I care? As far as I'm concerned you're a spy on this ship and that is a crime punishable by death!" His face was red from anger.

Katara tried to answer but she couldn't. The world seemed to spin around her and darkness began to blur the corners of her vision. Her hands slipped off of his, she didn't have the strength to fight him anymore. _I'm going to die like this._ A far off voice in her head said. _Aang…I'm so sorry._

Then to her surprise Zuko let her go. She slid down the wall into a crumpled heap on the floor, coughing and gasping for breath. She wasn't even sure where he was now; all she could concentrate on was filling her lungs with precious breaths of air. His hand grabbed her forearm suddenly and hauled her to her feet. She winced and raised her free air to shield her face but he merely looked at her.

"Why?" he said finally, some of the anger gone from his voice.

She didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "I…I" _What can I say? I can't tell him the truth!_

"You're not going to tell me the truth are you?" he asked, causing Katara to look at him in surprise. They're eyes met and Katara felt a strange sensation fill her, she wasn't sure what it was but it didn't feel bad. In fact, in a strange way, it felt good.

"However under the present circumstances I don't think you have a choice." His grip tightened slightly on her arm. "Why are you here? What do you gain by pretending to be a boy training to be a Fire Nation soldier?"

"You were going to take Aang's powers!" she cried. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realized that she had just given everything away. His eyes widened in understanding and he let go of her arm.

"Of course." He whispered, more to himself than her, "Of course. That day in the town. You heard us talking didn't you? So you thought you could save your little friend by hiding out on this boat." He laughed. "You should have known you'd be caught. Tell me, do your friends know you're here?"

Katara dropped her gaze.

"They don't do they? And do you miss them? You must. Seeing how you were crying for the Avatar in your sleep. It seems that is your weakness. You care too much. It gave you away in the end."

Katara stared at the floor, willing herself not to cry. This was definitely the worst day of her life. "Wh-what are you going to do with me?" she whispered, afraid to hear the answer yet even more afraid not to.

He chuckled slightly. "That is a good question. What should I do with you? I should kill you for spying like this. After all, that is the Fire Nation way. Or better yet I could torture you until you tell me where the Avatar is." He began to pace in front of her. "But that would not be proper since you're a girl. I may be banished but I still have enough honor not to hurt a lady. Even if she is a wretched spy."

"What would you know about honor?" Katara spat. She realized instantly that it was a mistake. His face went rigid and he stood there, frozen for a moment. Slowly his eyes slid up to meet hers. She gulped, wishing she had not said that. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"You're right. What would _I _know about honor? It got me banished, has sent me on this cursed, never ending hunt for the Avatar, stripped me of my people, everyone I loved or cared about. But what would _I _know about honor."

Katara hesitated, not sure whether she should say what was on her mind. "What happened?" she asked softly.

He looked at her again. Katara thought she saw something in his look. Like he was looking at her as a person instead of an enemy. Then he began to speak.

"It was two years ago. I wanted to go into the Fire Nation's war room but the guard's wouldn't let me." He continued on, telling Katara about how he had spoken up, how he had challenged the guard. "But it was not the guard I was to fight." He said with a bitter laugh. "It was my father." Finally he told how he had refused to fight and been punished severally for his actions. When he stopped Katara saw him in a completely different light. _No wonder he's so obsessed._ She thought. No matter how hard she to hate him, she couldn't help but feel compassion towards him. She wanted him to know she felt his pain but how could she?

"Why am I telling you this?" he asked, looking up at her as if in a daze. "You're nothing but a water bender, a friend of the Avatar. What am I doing?"

"Not everyone has to be classified as good and bad you know." Katara said quietly, taking a step towards him.

What happened next Katara was never quite sure. It all happened so fast. Maybe it was the brief glimmer of a connection between them when he had told her of his terrible or past or simply the fact that they both felt so alone in the world. All she knew was that one minute they were eyeing each other and the next minute his lips were on hers.

At first Katara was too shocked to do anything. She stood there as if frozen. Then, almost unconsciously, she relaxed slightly and gently ran her hands along the back of his neck. His arms wrapped around hesitantly. Slowly he pulled her closer to him. For a few blissful moments Katara was completely lost in her own world. She had never kissed anyone except her parents before and it felt so good. She was unaware of anything else except him.

But all good things must come to an end and slowly he pulled away from her. His eyes were wide in shock. They stared at each other in utter confusion.

_What have I done?_ Her head was spinning.

"What is it," Zuko whispered finally, "about you that makes me do crazy things whenever I'm around you?"

Katara shook her head, at a loss for words. Prince Zuko sat down heavily on her bed, holding his head. As Katara watched him she realized with a jolt what the strange feeling she had whenever she saw him was. _I like him!_ She thought in amazement. She sat down gingerly beside him. He glanced at her.

"What do we do now?" Katara murmured.

He was silent then suddenly he stood, straightening his shoulders. "We forget this ever happened." He said decisively. "We're both tired, we're not thinking straight. Yes that's it. We go back to the way things were and forget this ever happened."

"What?" Katara gasped in surprise. This was not what she had in mind at all. And she realized she didn't _want_ to forget about this night. "But-"

"That's what we'll do." He said firmly. "Except you won't continue this soldier charade any longer. I'll report tomorrow to the others that you turned out, in fact, to be a spy and then you'll have to stay locked in your room."

Katara felt as if her heart was being ripped out. "How can you do that?" she whispered, he voice cracking. "I thought…."

"Well you thought wrong." He snapped. "I care for nothing and no one. My only concern is in capturing the Avatar." He marched to the door and wretched it open.

"Zuko.." Katara called after him. She didn't know why. She just didn't want him to leave.

For a second he hesitated. Then he slammed the door behind him and she could hear his footsteps as he walked down the corridor.

She fell back against her pillow, half-heartedly pulling the covers around her. _What's going to happen now? _She thought as she cried herself to sleep.


	7. A Change of Plans

A/N: Sorry guys, I know that it's really short but after this things should pick back up again. I know I haven't updated in a while and in truth it was because I couldn't think of where to go with this story but I have some ideas now and I hope to have a couple more chapters up in the next few days. Thanks SOO much to all you that reviewed, I really appreciate it.

Chapter Seven

When Katara awoke the next morning her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. Her head hurt and she had had nightmares all night long. She stood up stiffly and walked to the door. She had come to a decision. If Prince Zuko wanted to pretend like none of this had ever happened then that was fine with her. But she was not going to go along with spending all her time in a tiny room. She had to do something, if only to take her mind off the terrible pain she felt deep in her chest every time she thought of the exiled Prince's face.

_Get a grip Katara._ She told herself sternly._ He's only a guy._ She walked over to the door and reached for the handle. When she twisted it, however, the door wouldn't budge. She stared at it in surprise.

"I don't believe this!" she muttered. "He locked me in!" She pounded her fist furiously on the locked door. "Of all the low down, dirty-" She was cut off when there was a click in the lock and Katara was forced to jump backwards to avoid being hit by the door.

"Well I see you're awake." Prince Zuko said as he walked into the room. "Here. This is your breakfast. Someone will bring you lunch and dinner later. We'll decide what to do with you when we reach land." He set a tray with food on it down on the bedside table and turned to leave.

"What! Wait! There is _no way_ I'm staying in this little room all day long!" Katara's cheeks flushed with anger. "You can't do that."

He turned and stared at her coldly. "I believe that since this is my ship I can do whatever I want."

Katara met his gaze and they stood glaring at each other. Finally Katara broke the silence.

"You really don't have any feelings do you?" She was shaking she was so angry. Everything that had happened to her came rushing back. "You would think you'd have learned something from being banished by your own father but you haven't! You don't care about anyone or anything! Do you really think that your father will take you back just because you capture the Avatar! Well I bet he won't! You're so naïve! You don't care about anyone but yourself!" A little voice in the back of her mind was telling her this was wrong, she shouldn't say that, it was to hurtful, even if he did deserve it but she kept right on.

Prince Zuko's face was growing red as well and when Katara finally stopped yelling he looked like he wanted to strangle her. He took a step towards her. "How dare you say things like that." he hissed, his hands shaking. Suddenly he raised one hand in a fist. Katara winced and instinctively closed her eyes, expecting to feel his fist colliding with her face but instead he turned and punched the wall with all his strength, crying out in anger. When he pulled his hand back there was a dent in the wall. He turned and stormed out of the room. He was so angry he forgot to lock the door behind him.

Katara stared after him, guilt already taking hold. _I can't think about that now. I've got to get off this ship before someone comes and realized that the door isn't locked._ With that she crept slowly out the door and into the hall to look for a place to hide until nighttime. Then she would find someway to get off this blasted ship. She would have to find another way to stop Prince Zuko's plans against the Avatar.


	8. If You Want Me Hold Me Back

Chapter Eight

It didn't take long for Prince Zuko to notice her escape. Katara had hid herself inside one of the crates in the storage hold just below deck. She wasn't sure what her plan was but she'd think of something.

She had heard his footsteps echoing down the corridor below her as he took her lunch to her room. She had to admit she was surprised by this. She'd figured after her recent outburst that she'd be lucky to get _anything_ to eat.

There was silence for a moment when he had unlocked the door to her room.

"Guards! Guards!" he had shouted suddenly.

For the next few hours the ship was filled with the sounds of feet rushing around as the guards, and the soldiers that Katara had once fought with, searched the ship for her. But they didn't think to look in the crates.

Finally the pandemonium died down and Katara heard footsteps above her as they all came up on deck.

"She still has to be on this ship." Prince Zuko said angrily. "We'll take a break now since it's getting dark but tomorrow I want everyone to report to the deck at first light. We must find her. She knows where the Avatar is. There is a handsome reward for whoever finds her."

"But sir," one of the boys said, "what if she's not here anymore?"

Katara could imagine the look that Prince Zuko was giving him and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"That's a good point," Prince Zuko said coldly. "Except for one thing. _We're in the middle of the ocean!_" He stormed off deck and his troops quickly followed.

_Almost dark. That means it'll be time soon._ Katara had finally come up with a plan while she was sitting hunched inside this miserable wooden box. There were some canoes stored below deck. She'd seen them once when she had gotten lost on the way to training practice. If she could get her hands on one then she could lower herself over the side of the ship and be long gone by morning. She just hoped they weren't _to_ far from land.

Katara waited until she could no longer hear the footsteps of the guards echoing up and down the corridor. Cautiously she pushed the lip off of the crate and stepped out. She groaned softly and stretched her sore muscles.

"I'm never doing that again." She muttered. She was surprised to find that she couldn't move the fingers on her left hand. It had fallen asleep and now she couldn't even feel it.

"Great, just great." She sighed and looked around. The canoes had to be here somewhere. No sooner had she thought this then her eyes landed on one tucked away in the far corner of the ship. She crept over and gently pulled it out from under some cloth. _Where is the paddle?_ Her eyes roamed the room but she couldn't find one. _What kind of idiots have a canoe with no paddle!_ She thought furiously. _Oh well. I can use water bending to make it go._

Dragging the canoe behind her she made her way out of the storage hold and up the stairs onto the deck. The moon was hidden behind a cloud making the deck dark.

"Stupid canoe!" she hissed at it as she lugged it towards the railing. "Why are you so darn heavy?"

"Maybe it's trying to stop you from escaping." A cold voice came from behind her. Katara let out a slight shriek and spun around. Prince Zuko stepped out from the shadows where he had been watching her since she emerged on deck.

Katara's blood ran cold at the sight of his face. _I'm dead._ The end of the boat she was holding onto slipped from her grasp and landed on the deck with a thud.

"I thought you might try to make a get away at night. Looks like I was right." His lips spread in a smile but it was anything but friendly. He walked slowly towards her, forcing her to back up until she was pressed against the rail. For the first time since she had put her plan into action that night back in the forest Katara felt truly afraid. She had been scared when she had been discovered and even when she had first boarded the ship but that was nothing compared to this. She remembered with a slight pang of guilt all the things she had said to him earlier. There was no way he was going to let her get away with that.

He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. "You know something?" he whispered, staring straight into her eyes. "You've caused nothing but trouble since you first showed your face that day at the dock. I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth keeping you here. I think it would be a lot less hassle for me to throw you over board to the mercy of whatever creature finds you and find other ways to learn the Avatar's whereabouts." He reached out suddenly and she felt his hands clamp down on her shoulders.

Katara continued to stare at him, unsure what to do. She didn't have a chance of fighting him, not when there were no others to help her. His grip tightened painfully on her shoulders. She tried to pull away, remembering all too when he had practically strangled her. "Let go of me." She whispered.

"No." Suddenly Katara felt herself being spun around and the next thing she knew the rail was pressing painfully into her stomach. His arm was against her back and it was the only thing keeping her from losing her balance and toppling over the rail. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the rolling ocean far below her. She hated heights.

"Let go of me!" Katara's voice was shrill.

"If you insist." He loosened his grip slightly and Katara jerked violently towards the waves. She screamed and instinctively clutched his other arm.

"On second thought I think I'm comfortable like this." She said breathlessly.

He laughed slightly but it quickly died away. "Tell me where the Avatar is and I'll spare you your life. You'll still be my prisoner but it's better than dying isn't it?"

Katara watched the waves lapping against the ship. A vision of Aang and Sokka floated through her head but then, suddenly, it was replaced by an image of Prince Zuko, the night they had kissed.

"Go ahead." She said.

"What?" Now it was Prince Zuko's turn to be caught off guard.

"Go ahead." She repeated her voice slightly stronger. "I don't care what you say. I don't think you'll do it. You may act like a big shot but whether you'll ever admit it or not, we _did_ kiss that night. And I think you liked it."

"You're out of your mind." He snapped.

"Then push me." She whispered back. "If you truly have no feelings for me at all, push me over the railing. Go ahead."

There was silence behind her. His arm was still against her but it seemed frozen. She could almost hear him thinking. Katara held her breath. Despite how confident she had sounded, she really had no idea whether he would let her slip or not. She was taking a big risk but she had to know.

Slowly he slid his arm off. For a second Katara thought he was letting go but then she felt his hands on her arms as he pulled her back. When he pulled her around she collapsed against him. She hadn't planned to but her legs were too weak to hold her up. She _really _hated heights. To her surprise he didn't try to push her away. Slowly he rested his chin on top of her head and stared out into the night.

"Zuko?" Katara asked cautiously when she was strong enough to stand on her own. She pushed gently against him. He let her go and she stood up straight.

"What?" he asked, still staring out over the ocean.

"About what I said earlier…I'm sorry." Katara said quietly, staring at the ground. "I'm sure your father will take you back…" She stopped suddenly. She had almost said _I'm sure your father will take you back when you capture the Avatar. _ Her eyes widened slightly. _What am I thinking!_

"Maybe you're right." He muttered so softly Katara wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

"What?"

"Maybe you're right." He said, anger creeping into his voice. "Why _would_ he take me back? I guess I've always wondered that, I just didn't want to admit it." His gaze suddenly fell on her. "You know you can go if you want. Take your canoe and leave. I'll even admit it," he threw his hands up in an I-surrender position. "I did like you. But I'm not going to give up my pursuit of the Avatar just for a girl. It's not worth it." He turned and walked slowly towards the entrance to the stairs.

_This isn't how it's supposed to happen. He just said he liked me. Yet he acts like he doesn't even care! _Katara hesitated, looking from the canoe to Zuko's retreating back. Then, slowly, she attached the canoe to the ropes that would lower it over the side of the ship. A single tear slid down her face. She brushed it away angrily. _I will not cry for him._ But she couldn't help but cast one last glance at the ship as she lowered herself towards the cold black waters below.

A/N: Ok to be completely honest I have now idea where to go with the story from here. I would really appreciate it if you guys could give me some ideas! Thanks!


	9. More Surprises

A/N: Thanks everyone for all your suggestion and reviews, you guys are so awesome! I especially want to thank Arwey for her/his idea because I have decided to use it in my story, well sort of. I decided to use the general idea anyways :p Thanks to everyone though because you all had some great suggestions and now the story can go on!

Chapter Nine

Katara crossed her arms and glared out over the water as the first light of dawn began to break over the horizon. _I am never doing this again. I would rather be trapped on that ship with Zuko than out her bobbing around in the ocean!_ She was in a very bad mood. Over the course of the last three hours in which she had been paddling ferociously she had over turned the canoe once, dropped one of the oars, and finally gave up all together when a giant wave had knocked the other one out of her hands and swept it into the sea. Now she was to exhausted, hungry, stranded, and still slightly wet from her earlier dunking. So she was _not _in the mood to see the outline of a menacing silver ship sailing towards her.

"Oh great." She huffed, smacking the water angrily with her fist. "That is the _last _thing I need right now. A bunch of fire nation creeps!" Part of her hoped it was Prince Zuko because at least then she wouldn't be in danger yet another part of her wanted it to be anyone but Prince Zuko because her pride couldn't stand his gloating when he pulled her dripping from the sea.

Whether it was a curse or a blessing she wasn't sure but the ship that sailed along side of her was definitely not Prince Zuko's. It was much to large and much cleaner. Suddenly there was a splash. Katara looked to see a tiny row boat, much like her own, making its way around the back of the boat. It had dropped into the ocean unnoticed on the side opposite to her. The man rowing was a Fire Nation guard, still wearing his mask and armor. Katara thought for a second about trying to out row him but seeing as he was going twice as fast as she had when she'd still had her oars she decided against. If need be maybe she could fight him, with that armor he would sink like a stone.

He pulled back and came to a stop beside her canoe. The light that was now filling the sky glinted off his helmet.

"Go away." Katara croaked half-heartedly at him, it was pointless really, she knew that he would listen to her about as well as Admiral Zhao would listen to Prince Zuko. "Shoo. Leave me alone. Be gone." She glared at him.

He continued to stare at her then spoke slowly. "I have orders from my Commander to bring you to the ship at once."

"How about no?" Katara snapped, her stomach rumbling as it reminded her that she was starving.

"If you do not come peacefully I will take you by force." The guard continued to look at her but made no movement to grab her.

"Why don't you drop dead?" Katara said coldly.

"Aww come on. Is that anyway to speak to your rescuer?" With that the guard pulled of his helmet to reveal his black hair and laughing brown eyes.

"Sokka!" Katara gasped in complete and total shock. She gaped at him in absolute disbelief. "Wha- How..Where? What is going on!" She sputtered finally, gazing from Sokka to the ship.

"Well, just out confiscating some Fire Nation ships, rescueing damsels in distress, you know, the usual."

"Sokka!" Katara said angrily.

"Ok, ok." Sokka's grin faded and he took on a serious look. "Me and Aang were worried sick about you Katara! We found your note and we've been hunting frantically for you ever since. What were you thinking! You snuck off as a Fire Nation soldier just to find out about that stupid temple thing!" His face glowed with anger and Katara could tell he had wanted to say this for a long time. "We thought you'd been killed or captured or something! We didn't know what to do!"

Katara kept silent until she was sure that Sokka had run out of steam. "I'm sorry." She said. "I'm sorry I made you worry but I had to know. I couldn't risk Aang getting hurt if there was a way I could prevent it."

Sokka rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well did you find anything out?"

Katara looked away from his gaze. "No." she said quietly, pushing the images of her and Zuko out of her mind. "Hey wait." Katara looked up again, "What are you doing here on a Fire Nation ship!"

"Oh well, funny you should ask that." Sokka flexed his muscles. "After you left we decided to come after you so we stole this ship that was in the harbor. Of course we had to battle a couple guards but I took care of them." He grinned at his biceps.

"Wait, Aang's here too?" Katara asked in excitement.

"Yeah. He's waiting on the ship. Come on let's get onto the ship and we can talk later. All this bobbing around is making me sea sick."

"Ok." Katara held onto the end of Sokka's canoe with her hands as he turned and paddled to the giant ship behind them.

_Well this beats anything that's happened so far. _Katara thought to herself as Sokka paddled along. _After all that's happened these last few weeks I don't think anything could catch me off guard now._ But as she was to soon find out, she was very much mistaken.


	10. Back in the Flames

A/N: Ok guys you know the drill. I tell u how sorry I am I haven't written in months and then I tell u how I'll write more. But I really am sorry and I have the story basically planned out now which means there's a 98 chance it will get finished. Hope you still like it and are glad I started back. If not that's ok, ill just go cry in a corner lol. Anyway here you go. It should get good very soon and I will write as fast as I can. Thnks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome!

Chapter Ten 

Katara had barely set foot on deck when she was tackled by a flying bald headed boy.

"KATARA! Katara, Katara, Katara! You're safe!" Aang yelled as he grabbed her in a bear hug.

"Oomph! Yes I'm safe." Katara laughed as Aang attempted to pick her up only wasn't strong enough so had to settle for hugging her so hard she could barely breathe. "But not for long if you keep crushing my lungs like this."

Aang let go and grinned up at her. "I missed you Katara." He said seriously.

"I missed you too Aang." She said, smiling back. It was good to be back among friends.

"What happened?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Katara countered as he finally let her go. "You and Sokka showing up in the middle of the ocean on a Fire Nation ship is not exactly something that happens everyday."

"You _floating_ in the middle of the ocean in a tiny canoe after getting off a Fire Nation ship is not exactly common either." Sokka said coming up behind them after putting the boats below deck.

Katara laughed. "Ok fair enough. How about we get something to eat and then tell each other everything." She paused, glancing suspiciously at Sokka. "You _did_ bring food with you didn't you?"

Sokka's face turned red. "Of course we did! What kind of men do you think we are that we have to have your help just to remember to bring food! That's so sexist Katara! I never would have expected it from……..ok yeah we forgot the food." He finished sheepishly.

Katara laughed like she hadn't it weeks. It was a wonderful filling to be needed.

Much later that day Katara lay down in her new bed and sighed contentedly. They had caught some fish for supper and had spent the rest of the day telling about their adventures. Katara had told them all she had learned, being careful to leave Prince Zuko out of it.

"He eventually found out that I was a spy and he kicked me out in that little boat, I guess hoping I'd drown or something. He said the only reason he didn't kill me was because I'm a girl." She had thought this story up while she was talking and decided it was the best explanation of what had happened. "And that's when you guys found me."

"Well it's a good thing we did." Sokka had said grumpily. Katara could tell he was mad that he hadn't got to do any of the fighting and she hid a grin.

Now she was lying in her hammock bed below deck while Sokka and Aang took turns as look out above. They had insisted that she rest and if she really wanted to be a look out she could the next night.

_I'll never be able to sleep. I'm so used to getting little sleep from training. _She stood up and walked up the stairs to the deck above. She smiled as she saw Aang asleep on the deck while Sokka peered out over the calm waters of the ocean. She leaned against the door frame at the top of the stairs and watched them. They looked so peaceful. She couldn't imagine the worry she must have put them through when she ran off.

Suddenly a pang of hurt went through her. _No Katara! Don't think about him! Don't- oh to late._ She sighed quietly, thinking back to the night she left. She didn't want to think about Zuko, she didn't want to remember him but it was like trying to forget that she had posed as a Fire Nation trainee. Every time she forgot for even the briefest of seconds, she would glance in a mirror and see the jagged scar across her cheek or run her fingers through her hair only to realize it didn't even reach her shoulders anymore.

"Zuko…" she whispered. She shook her head and stood up straight. _What am I thinking? I can't go back. No matter how bad I want to, there's nothing I can do. We're fire and water. We don't mix at all. _

She sighed and turned to go back below deck.

"Hey Katara!" Aang called, waking as he heard her soft footsteps about to leave.

"Yeah Aang?" She asked, turning back around.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too Aang." She smiled slightly at her friend.

"We should reach land by tomorrow." He said, sitting up from where he was lying on the deck.

"Land?" Katara realized she hadn't even thought to ask them where they were headed.

"Yeah. Didn't Sokka tell you? We're headed for the Fire Nation."

"What?" Katara looked at him in surprise. This was the last thing she wanted to hear. She had just escaped that nightmare and now they were going straight back into enemy territory barely a day later. Would it never end?

"Yes. Sokka didn't want to go but we really need supplies. And we're almost out of fuel. Besides, what better way to find out what's going on with this thing that can supposedly destroy my powers? Without sneaking off to join their troops I mean." He cast a playful grin at Katara. "And since we're sailing in on a Fire Nation ship, I don't think they'll realize we're not Fire Nation."

Katara sighed. She didn't feel like arguing. Besides, what choice did they have anyway? A tiny voice in the back of her mind was saying, _And maybe you'll see Zuko,_ but she quickly pushed this thought away.

"You're probably right. This ship _is _the best disguise we could have. I'm going to bed now. Wake me before we get there, I want to have time to change so I'm not quite as recognizable."

"Ok. Night Katara." Aang answered.

"Night Aang." She said, and with a heavy heart, went below deck and fell into a restless sleep.


	11. Over Enemy Lines

A/N: Hey I hope this chapter is longer than the last. I've been working on it for days. I upgraded the rating on this story to T because a K+ rating also makes me paranoid that I'm going to put something in the story that shouldn't have a K+ rating. I keep my stories clean but it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

"Katara! Wake up Katara!" Aang flew up and landed on the end of the hammock where Katara had been oh so peacefully sleeping.

Katara mumbled something about pink bunny rabbits and rolled over.

"Come on Katara! We're almost there and you said to wake you so you could put on a disguise. And can you help me with a disguise too?"

Katara sighed deeply and opened one eye reluctantly. She was reminded of a few months before when she had had the same rude awaking so they could go chase some bear for Aang to ride. And look where that had gotten her. _I hope I don't find anything that significant this time._ She thought grumpily as she rolled out of bed, snagged her foot in the hammock, and fell on the floor. _I can't take anymore under cover work._

By the time she had freshened up and met Aang and Sokka on deck, Katara was feeling better. _Apparently I didn't know how sleepy I really was. It's almost night fall; I slept through an entire day!_

She surveyed Sokka and Aang closely. They had their disguises at the ready. Sokka was wearing armor from one of the guards he and Aang had defeated when they had stormed the ship. Aang, being slightly too short to pass for a guard, was wearing a cloak they had found in a hammock below deck with its hood pulled up over his face.

Katara had had a harder time coming up with her disguise. She knew the Fire Nation would recognize her if she went as she was. She had no doubt that Prince Zuko put up wanted posters as soon as he could. He may have let her go but she seriously doubted that he would stick with his decision for long. She had, however, come up with a disguise that she thought was rather good. She was wearing a gypsy's dress that had been stored below deck (she had made a mental note not to think about where it came from, apparently Fire Nation soldiers got very lonely).

It was a bit big on her but it defiantly made her look different. She had large golden bangles on her wrists and around her ankles. The dress itself was green and white with a purple strip across the skirt. She hadn't been able to think of anything to do with her hair so she had simply pulled it back with a piece of ribbon. The shorter bits were hanging down since she couldn't pull them back but on the whole she thought it would do its job.

"There it is." Sokka whispered, gazing out across the choppy waters as the steam from the ship curled around them in the darkening night. "The Fire Nation."

They gazed in tense silence at the looming mass of land coming ever closer.

"Wonder what animals they keep there." Aang murmured.

Katara couldn't help but laugh. Some things never changed.

They watched it coming closer until finally they had sailed up to the harbor. A few Fire Nation guards appeared to help them tie up their ship and to check that they weren't spies.

Katara felt a thrill of fear run through her as the guard looked her over. He smirked at her gypsy dress but jerked his head, motioning for her to go on into the city. She wanted until Sokka and Aang had been cleared and then they set off quickly for the heart of the city. They had decided to stay away from the borders in case any thieves were lurking there. It was best to call as little attention to themselves as possible.

"Wow!" Aang said in awe, trying to look everywhere at once. "This place is amazing!"

Katara hated to admit it but he was right. There were street venders everywhere with strange children's toys that lit up and spit fire. The lights were decorated with paper lanterns and life-size dragons decorated the sides of near by stores. Entertainers wear at almost every street corner they came to and Katara and Sokka had to drag Aang away more than once. It was defiantly different from any place they had ever been before.

"Come on," Sokka said, pointing towards a darkened corner of the street, "I think we can buy some stuff over there."

Katara looked at the place. It was a little shop with a faded sign above it. She couldn't read the sign from where they were standing but she had a flashback of the day she had run into Prince Zuko in the village.

"Um…you guys go ahead," she said quickly, "I'll catch up with you later. I think there's something over here we might need." She added quickly as Sokka gave her a strange look.

He shrugged. "Ok, whatever. Just stay out of trouble."

Katara rolled her eyes and walked away. She looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and sparkling stars. She gazed at it, feeling slightly calmer. No matter where she went, she was always gazing at the same night sky and the same stars. It was a comforting thought.

She looked around at the stores that lined each side of the street. There weren't many people around this part of the town and Katara was relieved. It was hard to be caught when no one was around to see you .

As she passed one shop, however, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"They'll never know what hit them." A smug male voice said.

Katara gasped and quickly pressed her hand to her mouth. Admiral Zhao! She crept slowly to the window of the shop and, after checking to see that no one was coming, peered in.

"I thank you for bringing me this information General." Zhao was saying. The other man was half hidden in shadows but Katara thought there was something vaguely familiar about him. As he stood up straighter and the moonlight hit his face she remembered where she had seen him. It was General Gonju, the man Zuko had met with when she had first over heard the plans to find this mysterious item that was causing so much trouble. General Gonju had been the man who got the supplies for Zuko from the Fire Nation, whatever they were.

"I can assure you that you will be handsomely rewarded for this information." Zhao continued.

"Thank you Admiral." Gonju answered. "It is unfortunate that Zuko has the Fire Nation artifact but I thought if I aided him in getting it then you would have something to frame him with. You can say that he stole it and would not willing give it back to you. That way once he is dead you can merely say he was killed in a fight."

"Yes," Zhao said smirking, "A lot less questions are asked that way then if he is believed to be murdered, though who would care enough to file charges against me when I kill him I don't know. But best to be on the safe side now isn't it?" He laughed. It was not a pleasant sound and made Katara shiver.

_He's going to kill Zuko! _She thought in shock. _I don't believe it, General Gonju sold him out! I always knew they were twisted. _She slunk away from the window, her mind reeling. Zhao was going to kill Zuko. A whirl emotions were welling up inside her. _What do I do?_

She felt ripped in half as she walked up the street, with no idea where she was going. Half of her wanted to save Zuko but the other half didn't want to admit it. _I don't want to care. He's the enemy! So why do I care so much? _She tried to sort out her thoughts, come up with some kind of plan, decide what to do next but she was soon interrupted and what happened next completely drove any thoughts of Zuko away.

"Hey! Hey! There! It's the Avatar!" A sharp yell split the peaceful silence that had enveloped the town only moments before. Katara spun around, her eyes wide in horror. Sure enough, several Fire Nation guards were racing in the direction that Sokka and Aang had just set off in.

The night erupted in sounds as a crowd began to gather and guards rushed past, pushing people roughly aside. Katara turned on her heel and raced as fast as she could towards the spot where the guards were headed.

_No, no, no! This can't be happening! I just found them, I won't let us be separated again!_ Katara's mind screamed as she pounded down the crowded street. She bumped into someone, nearly knocking them to the ground and ripping the ribbon from her hair in the process. She didn't even turn to see who it was as her hair tumbled down around her face. She was grateful it was still so short; otherwise it would have been hanging in her eyes to where she couldn't see.

She raced on, unaware of anything except that she must reach her goal: Aang and Sokka.

"Hold on, I'm coming," she whispered.

Seconds later, as another shout rang out into the night and a fireball whizzed into the darkness, Katara slid to a halt in front of the store where Aang and Sokka had been headed. Her eyes widened in horror. Aang's glider lay broken in half on the ground along with Sokka's knife. At least fifteen Fire Nation guards stood in a circle in front of the store. Aang was pinned with his arms behind his back by three guards. His hood had slid off and there was a large gash above his right eye. Sokka stood only feet away surrounded by four guards. Apparently he was still trying to put up a fight.

"Sokka!" Katara cried without a thought as to her own safety, she only wanted to save her friends from the clutches of the enemy.

"Aang!" She tried to rush towards them but the crowd of onlookers that had formed closed tightly so that she couldn't pass. She stopped so she wouldn't run into them and stared over their heads at her trapped friends. A guard sprang at Sokka but missed as Sokka rolled to the ground and the guard crashed into the building. He wasn't fast enough for the second guard, however. Before Katara could get a clear view of what was going on, Sokka was pinned against the wall with his arm wrenched painfully behind his back.

"Katara!" Aang cried suddenly as he noticed her for the first time. The guards spun around.

"The girl!" One cried, "Grab the girl!" Three of the guards ran forward and the crowd, apparently not wanting to get involved in the struggle, parted to let them pass. Katara backed up slowly, her eyes never leaving Aang's face.

"Run Katara!" Sokka yelled at her. Katara hesitated. _I can't leave them! I can't!_ She screamed at herself.

"Please Katara!" Aang's voice broke through her thoughts. "Don't let them get you too! _Run!_"

Katara felt a great sadness swell inside her but she knew that she didn't stand a chance against that many guards. She had no choice.

"I'm sorry!" she choked out and turned and fled. She raced back up the street, her bracelets falling with a clang onto the stone street. A tear ran down her cheek at the thought that she was leaving her two best friends behind. _Traitor, traitor, traitor, _ran over and over in her head, even though she knew that Sokka and Aang would be glad she had escaped.

Thinking of escape made her realize that the sound of pounding feet was coming closer. She burst ahead, running as hard as she ever had before in her life. If she couldn't help her friends now she could at least make sure she wasn't caught so she could come back and help them later.

Gasping for breath Katara raised her eyes to survey the street ahead. To her relief she saw a narrow alley way ahead of her. _If I can just reach that maybe I can hide. _She concentrated on the tiny street, the only chance she had. The guards had fallen behind but they were still coming.

Finally the alleyway loomed in front of her. She turned and practically threw herself around the corner. Unfortunately someone was already standing there.

As she rounded the corner there was suddenly a thud as she collided head on into someone in the alleyway. They stumbled but quickly regained their balance. Katara was thrown off slightly more and collapsed against them. She looked up and found herself face to face with Prince Zuko himself.

Her mouth dropped and she stared at him in complete shock. He stared back at her with an equally surprised look on his face but recovered from this unexpected meeting first. Glancing over her shoulder saw the shadows of the advancing guards. Without saying anything he grabbed her wrist and dragged her roughly down the alleyway and through the door of an abandoned building. They ducked down below the window so they could see out but the guards couldn't see in.

"Which way did they go?" The head guard shouted as they rounded the corner. There was silence for a second as the guards looked around.

"There!" the guard shouted, pointing in the wrong direction. "I saw someone move!" Like a shot they were off. If the situation hadn't been so terrifying, Katara would have laughed at the guard's apparent stupidity.

She relaxed slightly as their foot steps faded away but felt the thrill of terror rush back again as Zuko stood up beside her, hauling her roughly to her feet.

They stood looking at each other in silence.

"Well, this is the last place I would have expected to see you. Couldn't get enough of the Fire Nation after your little charade?" His tone was icy as you continued to stare at her.

Katara hesitated, she didn't want to tell him to the truth but Aang was already captured anyway and he _had_ just saved her, from the guards at least. "We came here to get supplies." She said, meeting his gaze.

He was silent again. _Why did he hide me from the guards? _She wondered. Suddenly her eyes widened as realization jolted through her.

"Why are you here?" she asked in surprise.

He raised one eyebrow in a slight smirk. "I'm from the Fire Nation, remember?"

"You're in exile! You'd get in just as much trouble as I would if you were caught!"

His expression turned sour again. "I know. I was….looking for something but then you had to bring the guards sniffing around here so I had to hide you to get them away. You should be thanking me."

_He could have just let them catch me then they would have left without a search._ She thought with a slight smile but just looked at him and simply said, "Thank you."

Zuko opened his mouth to say something but stopped, looking at her in surprise. Apparently he hadn't actually thought she would actually thank him. He blinked a couple times, trying to sort out his thoughts. "Well you know I can't let you go right?" he snapped finally.

Now it was Katara's turn to be surprised. She hadn't considered it before. What _was_ he going to do with her now? "I could just leave right now. And you wouldn't be able to follow me because the guards would catch you." She said, her anger apparent in her flushed cheeks. She did _not _like being in someone else's control.

"And get caught?" He said smugly. "You wouldn't be much help to the Avatar then, would you?" His grin grew wider. "By the way, where is he now?" He looked around the tiny room as if expecting the Avatar to magically appear before him. "He's never far away when you're around."

Katara stared back at him in silence. _Maybe I should run for the door. _She thought but since he was standing beside it she doubted she would get very far. She wasn't sure if it was worth it to try. At least here she was safe from the guards, for the moment.

"Not going to tell me?" he continued, "No matter. Soon the Avatar will be the least of my worries. I have other plans, as you may know, and it doesn't matter anymore whether I have him in my possession or not." He took a step closer, his eyes never leaving her face. "Though it does seem strange that you would leave him all alone out there with all those guards."

Katara felt the anger rising again. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything.

"Ah well, I'm sure you're only with him for the glory. He can't actually be your friend. Otherwise you would be out there protecting him instead of in here saving yourself. But I'm sure he'll understand that you left him _all alone_."

"I didn't have a choice, they already had him!" Katara screamed, her anger bursting. As soon as she said it she realized it was a mistake. She had fallen into Zuko's trap, he was trying to trick her into revealing where Aang was and she had done just that. Mentally she kicked herself, how could she be so stupid? There was just something about Zuko that always made her lose her head.

She dropped her gaze to the floor, her anger leaving her as quickly as it had come, as she realized what she had done. Zuko's triumphant smile was enough to prove that he now knew exactly where Aang was, in the hands of the Fire Nation guards.

"Well isn't that a shame?" he said sarcastically. "And what about your brother? Has he been captured too?"

Katara just shook her head. "I'm not telling you anything."

"You don't have much of a choice of what you do from here. I can turn you in to the guards any time I want."

"I wouldn't be so sure about your safety if I were you." Katara countered. The conversation she had overheard between Admiral Zhao and General Gonju had just come back to her. It had been forgotten in the chase that had followed.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Katara smirked slightly. The tables had turned. Now it was she that had the power to control what happened to Zuko instead of the other way around.

"Why should I tell you?" she asked. "What difference does it make to me if you live or die?" She tried to keep her voice normal but she felt something inside her as she said it. _Could it be……sadness?_ She wondered in confusion. _Surely I can't actually still like him!_ But the feeling was becoming harder and harder to ignore as she thought back to the gloating sound of Zhao's voice as he talked of finishing Zuko off.

"You really do know something," Zuko said, staring at her with that expression that made her feel as if he could see exactly what she was thinking, "You're not bluffing." He took a step towards her. "What do you know?"

Katara made a mental note to never dangle vital information in front of the enemies face again. She had hoped to trade this secret for him letting her leave but apparently this wasn't going to work. Katara glanced over his should at the open door and a plan formed in her mind.

"Admiral Zhao!" Katara suddenly shrieked, taking a step back and staring at the door frame in horror.

Zuko spun around in alarm, his hands bursting into flames. When he looked, however, his gaze met with an empty door frame, exactly as it had been when they had entered the building.

This was the reaction that Katara had hoped for. As soon as his back was turned, she took off, racing as fast as she could for the open door and her passage way to freedom. Zuko didn't realize what was going on until she was almost to the door but when he did he yelled in anger and lunged at her.

He landed on the floor, his hands closing around Katara's ankle. She tripped and fell on the floor with a crash, gasping in pain as she landed on her wrist and there was a crack! She rolled over on her back, cradling her arm in her hand, trying her hardest to keep the tears of pain from coming. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zuko pulling himself to his feet, preparing for another attack no doubt. Biting back another cry as a sharp pain jolted her wrist again she kicked out, knocking his legs out from under him. He fell back to the floor but, being far more trained than she, twisted in mid-air so that he landed on his knees instead of his back.

Katara tried to jump to her feet but found out quickly that putting pressure on her wrist was a very bad idea. She was all to glad to change tactics to rolling farther away from Zuko as a fireball flew at her from where he had finally managed to pick himself back up. Katara saw the door looming beside her out of the corner of her eye and pushed herself onto her knees with her good hand. She was about to stand up when suddenly something crashed into her, knocking her flat on her face. She screamed as her arms were wrenched behind her back and she realized it was Zuko who had tackled her again. The pain now radiating through her hand was unbearable.

"Please! My wrist!" she choked as she bit back a sob. She hated herself for pleading like this with the enemy but she couldn't stand it. She _had _to get him to let go.

"Tell me what you know!" He yelled. His grip tightened on her wrist more.

Katara bit into her lip so hard she tasted blood. She let her forehead fall against the floor as she tried to ignore the throbbing pain.

There was silence as they both stayed frozen, waiting to see what the other would do. Apparently Zuko was trying to decide whether or not inflicting immense pain was the answer to his problem. _Surely he wouldn't be that cruel. _Katara thought to herself. _Please don't let him be that cruel._

Finally Zuko let go slowly and stood up pulling Katara with him by her good hand. She let herself fall back against the wall, not sure if she could hold herself up at the moment. Her stomach was feeling uncomfortably weak.

"Let me see." Zuko said, his voice void of any emotion.

"Wh-what?" Katara asked him in confusion.

"I treated all the injuries of the men on my ship for the last year along with my uncle. Let me see your wrist."

Katara stared at him in surprise. Should she let him? Finally, with great reluctance, she held out her already swollen wrist for him to examine. He took his fingers and pressed gently against it. Katara flinched as her wrist gave another mild throb.

"It's sprained." He said, letting go. "It'll heal on its own as long as you don't use it."

_One minute he's fighting me, the next he's giving me medical advice._ Katara thought in bewilderment. _I just can't figure this guy out._

Suddenly there was a shout from outside.

"There coming back." Zuko said, glancing out the window. Katara didn't have to ask to know he meant the guards. He looked back at her. "I'll make a deal with you. Come back to my ship with me. Tell me what you know and I will keep you safe from the guards. I know that your brother and the Avatar must already have been captured or you would be back there trying to save them so what have you got to lose?"

"And what happens when you reach land again? Do I go free?" Katara asked.

Zuko just looked at her. "We'll discuss those terms when we get there. At the present moment I don't think you have much of a choice."

Katara hesitated. How could she leave Aang and Sokka again? But it seemed it was her only option. As she heard another shout, this time closer, she turned and nodded to Zuko. "Fine."

"Good, let's go." He motioned to the door and they slipped quietly into the darkness, neither one sure what had just happened between them or what would happen next.


	12. Lost Treasure

Chapter Twelve

The familiar silver shape of Zuko's ship loomed up in front of Katara as they hurried down the dock to where it was waiting for their departure. As the clunk of their feet hitting the wooden planks reached her ears her mind was filled with a flashback of the day she had first seen this ship, waiting on the dock to see if she would be picked for training or sent home.

They boarded quickly, the silver ramp rising up behind them, closing Katara off from the land where her friends were currently being held prisoner. She hesitated, turning to stare back at the dock they had just crossed. _It's not to late, maybe I should jump off now and go back. _

She felt Zuko's hand suddenly as he gripped her upper arm. "We have a deal, remember?" he said quietly, his grip tightening none the less. Katara tore her gaze away from the land and turned her back to it. If she looked again then the urge to help her friends would become to over powering and she would never be able to leave with Zuko.

He led her across the bridge of the ship and below deck. A few of the Fire Nation soldiers, boys that Katara had trained with no doubt, stared as they past but most simply ignored her and kept to their work.

They walked down the dimly lit hallway that was all too familiar in Katara's memory. Her hand went too automatically to her short hair, her hands twisting it around her fingers. She realized that it was starting to grow. Not much, but it wasn't quite as short as it had been that night when she had first cut it in the woods.

"Wait here." Zuko said suddenly, stopping outside a door marked with a Fire Nation Emblem and red paint across it in strange symbols. "I'll be back. Do _not_ go anywhere." He knocked once on the door then pushed it open and went inside. Katara got the briefest glance of a table with two high backed chairs, one of which was occupied by Zuko's Uncle Iroh, when the door was pulled quickly shut behind him.

Katara stared at the door, itching to know what was being said inside. _Hmm…_ she thought to herself, _to spy or not to spy………to spy!_ She slipped quietly up to the door and pressed her ear against the crack where the door did not quite meet the frame. She listened and could soon make out voices talking inside the room.

"So she will be staying on the ship until we reach land." Zuko was saying.

"And what do you plan to do then?" Uncle Iroh asked, taking a sip of what Katara assumed was tea.

"Find out what she knows of the Avatar's current where-abouts and then keep her out of the way while I collect the last artifact. Apparently the artifact we got from the earth kingdom peasant was a phony but I believe I know where the real one is this time. After that we will be ready to go to the temple." He paused. "I also need to find out what she knows about the Fire Nation's plans. I'm not sure what she meant but she said something about my safety and I believe she may have overheard something."

"I see." His Uncle said pleasantly. "What about the water tribe artifact? Remember you have to have something from each tribe for the plan to work."

"I _know_ that Uncle, I was the one who thought of it! I do have something from the water tribe though for your information. This." There was a rustling sound.

"Ah yes. I had quite forgotten about it. Well it seems that your plan is going smoothly then."

_Something from the water tribe?_ Katara thought in surprise. _What could he have? I have to find out! He has no right to take something that belongs to my people, or any of the other tribes for that matter. _She made a mental note to do some investigating of the ship later when she was sure the guards weren't around.

"By the way, I have one more question for you nephew."

"What is it Uncle?" Zuko asked in a wary voice.

"What are you going to tell your young water bending friend?"

"What do you mean? I don't have to tell her much of anything. She doesn't need to know the truth and there's no way she'll find out."

"That is good reasoning but I'm not sure that it will go as you plan, seeing as she's been listening in on us the entire time." Uncle Iroh's voice was filled with amusement.

Katara jerked back from the door but she could still hear Zuko's shout as plain as if she had still be listening in.

"What!" There was the pounding of footsteps and the door was jerked open. Katara didn't even bother to pretend she hadn't heard, she knew she had been caught and she would only look dumb by pretending she hadn't.

"Why you little!" Zuko fumed as he stared out of the open doorway at her. She stared back at him, trying to keep her face as blank of any emotions as she could.

"I take you on my ship, I offer you protection and you still sneak around like a wretched spy! Didn't you learn anything from the last time you were here!" He practically screamed.

"Yes." Katara said calmly. "Never let your guard down and never trust the enemy."

Iroh chuckled softly behind them. "Prince Zuko I'm afraid she's got you there."

"Uncle could you please _stay out of this_!"

"Fine, but I must ask you to take your argument somewhere else. I'm afraid that I am behind on fixing my evening cup of tea and I would like to get right on it."

Zuko sighed and pulled the door shut with a bank. "Come on." He muttered angrily and continued down the hallway.

"What do you have of the water nation's?" Katara asked point-blank. No point in beating around the bush when he knew that she had heard him.

"That's none of your business." He snapped, not bothering to glance back at her.

"I believe it is since I'm _from _the water nation." Katara replied angrily. "What have you got of ours?"

"I said, it's_ none of your business_!"

"What are you planning on doing with it?" Katara asked, changing tactics.

"Well that I _can _tell you. I'm going to destroy it." Zuko snapped.

"What! You can't destroy something of ours. Or the other nations. You have no right! That is so- AH!" Katara gasped in surprise as a pain jolted through her hand. She had completely forgotten about her wrist. She instinctively pulled it close against her chest, pressing her other hand gently against it to try and stop the throbbing. Zuko glanced over his shoulder to see what had happened.

"I'll bring you a cloth to wrap your wrist in later." He said simply. Turning back around. "Here, you can stay in this room." He opened a door onto a room that was not unlike her old room. Her room this time, however, was on the opposite side of the ship from the crew's quarters, a fact that Katara was glad for. She didn't fancy running in to any of her old "buddies" seeing as they probably would not be that happy to see her.

She followed him inside as he stepped through the door way. "Don't even try to tell me your going to lock the door." She said crossly, her wrist still bothering her.

"And why not?" he asked coolly. "I believe I can do whatever I want on _my _ship."

"That's what you think." She said, glaring back.

Zuko's face turned red in anger. Katara was beginning to see that he had a very short temper. "For your information I was not going to lock the door." He turned and marched out of the room but stopped just inside the doorframe. "By the way, just so you know, this is what I plan to destroy for my water nation artifact." And pulled Katara's missing necklace from his pocket, smirking at her shocked face before turning and walking away.


	13. Fanning the Flames

A/N: Ok guys, keep in mind that this _is _a Zutara fan fic. Hence if some scenes tries not to give anything away don't seem realistic remember it is a fan fic and, well, I don't want to spoil it I just want to say that I know this stuff probably wouldn't happen in the real show but would you rather me take a whole fan fiction to try to explain how the fall in love and all that or get to the good stuff? So please don't flame me for making it exciting (I hope)

By the way, I don't remember if Zhao is still an Admiral or if he's something else so for my story he's an Admiral.

Chapter Thirteen

Perhaps it was a build-up of all the stress she had been through in the past few weeks or maybe it was the fact that being around Zuko simply drove her up the wall. All Katara knew was that one second Zuko was holding the necklace in his hand and the next he was on the floor as she tackled him. When she thought back on it she realized that it was a pretty good jump on her part seeing that she was halfway across the room and he was outside the doorway. Anger makes a person do crazy things.

"You heartless, spineless, coward!" she shrieked, ignoring her injured wrist and everything else around her except the fact that she wanted to punch his face in. This was the last straw. Deal or no deal, she was going to hurt him. Zuko was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. He rolled over, trying to get the insane water bender off of him but was shocked to feel a punch connect with his face.

Katara felt satisfaction as she landed a punch squarely in Zuko's face. She had wanted to do that for awhile. He grabbed her hand and yanked it, sending her toppling off of him onto the cold metal floor. She retaliated by kneeing him in the stomach. He cried out in anger and pressed his arm against her throat, trying to cut off her air supply, but Katara was too quick. She rolled before he could get his balance back fully and slammed into him, knocking him to the ground once more. Soon they were rolling around in the floor, punching and kicking what ever they could reach. Just when Katara thought she might actually beat him, though, she made a hasty decision that she realized right away would cost her.

After a punch missed her shoulder, she raised her bad hand without thinking to try to knock Zuko off balance again. He grabbed her hand and the pain was enough to make her drop her guard for a split second. It was all he needed. He caught her under her shoulder and slammed her into the wall. Katara's felt the breath being knocked out of her. She gasped for air, unable to think of anyway to break free. Before she could come up with a plan he had spun her around and jerked her back against him, his arm pinning her there. She started to push away but froze as something glinted in front of her. Zuko was holding a knife.

"What are you going to do now?" he hissed in her ear. "Just because I'm a firebender doesn't mean I don't carry weapons. And trust me, if I slit your throat it would be _extremely_ painful." His voice was so menacing that Katara felt frozen. The cold blade was pressed against her throat and she was at a complete loss for words. Things had seemed to spin out of control so fast.

She simply stood frozen, to shocked and exhausted to do anything. She could feel the rise and fall of Zuko's chest against her back as he tried to catch his breath.

Finally he relaxed his grip just enough to lower the knife and put it away. "You are foolish and you have _no idea_ who you're dealing with. I was training before you were even old enough to think about war. The one thing that Fire Nation soldiers are taught is to be the best and to never lose a fight. And I believe that my record still stands." Katara still said nothing. It was the strangest thing ever but she was starting to get that odd feeling that happened around Zuko that made her want to stay with him. It was crazy but when he was so close she couldn't help but think about it.

He let go suddenly, pushing her back into her room and slamming the door behind him after he had followed her through.

"Tell me what you know." He said suddenly, staring at her as she sat on the bed where she had landed when he shoved her.

"Wh-what?" she asked in confusion.

"What do you know about me? You said something about my life being in danger, or hinted at it rather." He replied, the anger still apparent in his voice.

"General Gonju told Admiral Zhao what he knows and they're planning to frame you for stealing something from the Fire Nation so Zhao can kill you in a battle to get it back." Katara said in one breath. She was tired of keeping secrets, and though she would never admit it to herself, she didn't want Zuko to be killed.

He stared at her in surprise, not sure what to say. "You're bluffing." He said finally.

"Why would I lie about something like that? What would I gain from it?"

"General Gonju would never sell me out! He may threaten me about it but he's to spineless to actually go through with it! I can tell."

"Then you're a bad judge of character." Katara answered crossly.

"Well you don't seem so good of one yourself seeing as you keep hanging around me."

Katara felt her cheeks flushed. "Believe me, if I had a choice I would be anywhere but here."

"Oh really?" That stupid smirk was back.

"Yes really!" Katara said in frustration. She stood up so that she was standing face to face with Zuko. "You are one of the most loathsome, foul, revolting people I've ever met and- would you stop smirking at me!" Katara was really getting aggravated.

"Oh I am, am I?" Zuko asked her. "Well you're not so perfect yourself. There's a lot of things about you that I could point out that aren't so great."

Neither of them had realized how close they were getting to each other until suddenly Katara felt something brush against her hand. They both glanced down at the same time and she realized that the back of his hand was touching hers. She felt her face turn red in embarrassment and she looked back up at him. She expected him to move away and make some snide remark but to her surprise he didn't. In fact he wasn't saying anything at all. He was simply staring at her. Her mind flashed back to that night on the ship when he had discovered who she was. He had had ever intention of fighting her and they had ended up kissing.

Involuntarily she found herself staring at lips, thinking about that night. _Stop it Katara!_ She told herself but it was no use. She glanced up and their eyes met, both wondering if the other was thinking the same thing.

Suddenly he grabbed her, she tensed her body instinctively, thinking he was going to attack her again but to her complete and total shock he pulled her against his warm body and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Katara felt all the breath leave her body and she was sure she was going to float away. Complete and utter bliss rushed through her giving her a high she had never experienced before. Before she knew it she was pressing back against him and their kiss deepened. He felt so perfect against her she never wanted it to end.

Hesitantly he let his hand slide gently across her face, brushing her hair back. Katara's eyes closed and she felt a single tear slide down her cheek as she thought about how perfect this night was turning out to be.

At least, it would have been if the door had not flown open at that moment and they had spun around to see none other than Admiral Zhao himself standing in the doorway.

Katara and Zuko simply stared at him, both in complete shock. Zhao was wearing the biggest smirk Katara had ever seen and he glanced at Zuko's hand, which was on Katara's waist, and back up at them, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, well, why am I not surprised?" he said, his smirk getting even wider, if that was possible.

Zuko reacted first. He pulled his hand away from Katara and turned to face Zhao, no sign at all of embarrassment evident on his face. He looked as if he was simply talking to someone who was lost and asking for directions instead of a first-class Admiral who probably had a warrant to arrest him by now.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked in an icy calm voice.

"Oh I'm just checking up on those of lesser rank than myself. I happen to have a tip off that you are carrying a stolen artifact from the Fire Nation and I'm afraid I will have to take it by force if you do not hand it over."

"Fine. Take it." Zuko answered, his expression never changing.

The smirk slipped slightly as what Zuko had just said sunk it. "What?" Admiral Zhao demanded in surprise.

"I said take it. Go ahead." Zuko gestured around the room. "Take it……_if _you can find it. Otherwise you have no proof that I ever had it."

Katara involuntarily took a step backwards as Zhao's face flushed in anger. He was a lot more terrifying up close.

"Give. Me. The. Artifact." Zhao said in a dangerously quite voice, his anger growing with ever word.

"Find it for yourself. You have no business on my ship and I'm not going to give you something that you can't prove I even have or not."

"Then I will take it by force!" Zhao shouted, his fists erupting into flames.

Zuko immediately jumped back into a fighting stance, raising his also flaming fists to prepare for battle. But he was not prepared for what Zhao was about to do.

Without warning Zhao sprang, but to Katara and Zuko's surprise it was not to attack Zuko. Before either one realized what was happening, Zhao had grabbed Katara and had his arm wrapped around her throat so that she couldn't escape. Katara gasped in surprise and tried to wriggle out of his grip but was unsuccessful. She couldn't even use some of the moves she had learned when she had trained with Zuko because they required two hands and do to her hurt wrist she only had one.

"Give me the artifact!" Zhao screamed. Zuko froze, staring from him to Katara. He had no idea what to do; he could see no way out of the situation. Slowly he lowered his fists, the flames extinguishing themselves, and reached into his pocket. He drew out a small sculpture that looked to Katara to be a dragon with three heads. It was rusted but not badly and it shone slightly in the pale light of the room. He hesitated, looking once more at Zhao and his captive, and then slowly held the sculpture out for Zhao to take.

"No! Don't give it to him!" Katara screamed but Zuko ignored her.

Zhao grinned and reached out with his free hand to take it. Zuko pulled it back suddenly. "The girl first." He said. "I'm not giving it to you until you let her go."

Zhao laughed, it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Fine." Zuko held the sculpture out again, carefully watching Zhao's every movement. Zhao reached for the sculpture. Suddenly he grabbed it, pushing Katara away from his at the same time. She landed on the bed with a muffled thump. As soon as he released Katara Zuko jumped at him, no doubt to try and take the artifact back but as soon as the artifact was in Zhao's hand he turned and left, slamming and locking the door in Zuko's face.

Cursing, Zuko kicked the door but it didn't work. It was firmly locked and already they could hear Zhao's footsteps above their heads as he departed from the ship, having gotten what he had come for.


	14. Another Power

A/N: sorry it's taken a while to continue. I've been sick and it's getting close to Christmas so I don't have as much time to write. Hope you like this chapter though. And a personal thanks to nikanuu for her/his review and suggestion. I will use some of them for my story and I give them credit for the ideas. Thank you so much and thanks to everyone for your reviews. Praise, criticisms, and suggestions are always welcome.

Chapter Fourteen

Katara stared at the door Zhao had just disappeared through in surprise. Her mind was still trying to sort out what had happened in what had been only minutes but had seemed like hours.

_Did Zuko and I really-? Did Zhao just-? What about-?_ Thousands of unfinished questions whirled through her head, none of them complete except one. _What is Zuko going to do now?  
_

She didn't have to wait long for that answer.

"UNLCE!" Zuko shouted, beating his fist against the locked door. "Uncle!" They heard a crash from somewhere down the hall and, after a minute, footsteps hurrying towards them.

"Prince Zuko! Where are you?" Iroh called down the deserted hallway.

"We're in here!" Zuko shouted back, banging on the door for emphasis.

There was a click and the door opened to reveal Iroh standing on the other side looking slightly guilty. "I'm sorry Prince Zuko; it appears I dozed off while enjoying my cup of tea. What happened?" He cast a worried glance at Zuko and Katara who had picked herself up from the bed and walked over to stand behind Zuko.

"Admiral Zhao was here. He's taken the artifact, there's no time to lose! We must stop him!"

"I will tell the Captain to set all engines to full speed. I assume Zhao is headed for the Temple?" Iroh asked.

"Yes."

"We will head directly there then. We should reach it by day break." With that Iroh turned and headed quickly up the hall towards the Captain's room.

"Zuko?" Katara asked cautiously. She could no longer deny that she had feeling for the exiled Prince but even after there brief kiss she still wasn't sure how he was going to react to her, especially now that she had lost him the artifact.

He turned to face her, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "What?" he asked, his tone troubled.

"Don't…don't you think there's something odd going on here? If Zhao wants you dead then why didn't he just kill you then instead of just taking the artifact? He said he was going to use the artifact as a way to frame you, to say he killed you when you resisted arrest but he left you live even after he got what he came for."

He raised his head to look at her for the first time since Zhao had left. He blinked, as if he had forgotten she was there. "Are you ok?" he asked suddenly, his glance skimming from her injured wrist to her face which had received a slight cut somehow when Zhao had pushed her away.

Katara stared at him in surprise. That was defiantly not the answer she had expected. "Yes." She said when she found her voice again. "I'm fine. But what about Zhao?"

Zuko shrugged. "Maybe he changed his mind. Since he got the artifact he may have decided it wasn't worth it to kill me, perhaps he thinks that I can't possibly reach him before he completes the ceremony and the Avatar becomes helpless."

"Aang.." Katara gasped quietly. In all that had happened she had completely forgotten about Aang and Sokka. She hoped they were safe for the time being.

"Where is he?" Zuko asked, sitting down on the bed and staring at Katara. There was a slight lurch as the ship started to move at a fast speed and Katara set down beside him to keep from losing her balance.

She didn't answer. She wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to tell him the truth but she didn't know if she could trust him yet.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me. I just thought I could help." Zuko said, glancing at the floor. Katara bit her lip, unsure of what to do.

"He….he was captured by soldiers in the fire nation along with Sokka, my brother. I don't know where they took them. I had to leave them though! I couldn't help it, there was no choice! If I didn't then they would have no one to help them escape!" Katara's voice had risen with each sentence. An overwhelming desire to justify her actions had overcome her and she didn't know if it was towards Zuko or if she was trying to ease her own troubled mind. A single tear ran down her cheek and she turned her head quickly away so Zuko wouldn't see but she wasn't fast enough.

He gently touched her chin so that she had to turn back to face him and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "You did what you had to."

"Thanks." She whispered. They were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So what are you going to do now?" Katara asked finally.

"I think I have a plan." Zuko replied. "Well, it's not exactly complete, but the beginning of one. Since Zhao took the Fire Nation artifact, he must have the three others as well. So all we have to do is get to the temple and stop him."

"But I thought you _wanted_ this ceremony to happen." Katara said hesitantly.

"I do, I did that is. But I'm beginning to think it may be a bad idea." Zuko held his head in his hands. "There must be a reason that this temple, this magic has been hidden for so long. And if Zhao wants to use it so bad, I don't think I want any part in it."

"Oh." Katara answered quietly. She was relieved in a way but she couldn't help feeling extremely sad as she thought about the fact that once they stopped Zhao she would have to leave Zuko, maybe forever. For he could never stop hunting the Avatar and she could never abandon her friends. More tears slid down her face, no matter how hard she tried to stop them.

Zuko studied her for a moment, as if truly seeing her for the first time. Then he slid his hand into his pocket. "I have something for you."

Katara looked at him in surprise.

"Close your eyes." Zuko said, smiling slightly. Katara looked at him for a moment, trying to see what he was thinking but finally closed her eyes. She sat there for a moment then suddenly she felt something slide around her neck. She opened her eyes and gasped in complete shock.

"My necklace!" she whispered, staring at it as Zuko gently lifted her hair and fastened the blue necklace around her neck. She turned and stared at him in complete amazement. "You're giving it to me?"

"Well, technically I'm returning it." He said with a slight smile. "Since it wasn't exactly mine to begin with. You lost it the day-" He was saying but before he could finish his sentence, Katara had practically tackled him in a hug. He stared in surprise at the top of her head which was lying against his chest, then slowly let his arms circle around her and hugged her back. Slowly she raised her head slightly to gaze up at him and when Uncle Iroh came back he found them lying together on the bed kissing passionately.

"Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked, tapping lightly on the half-closed door. "We are passing the Fire Nation and I believe it would be best to stop and get some supplies and weapons before we go on."

"Mmphmm." Zuko tried to answer but found it slightly hard to talk while kissing. With great reluctance he and Katara sat back up and she tried to smooth out her hair.

"Fine, fine. Whatever you think is best Uncle. After all, you were a commander once."

"Alright." Iroh said, hiding his smile as the two teens resumed kissing as soon as he had turned away.

"Wait." Katara said as Zuko was about to wrap his arms around her again. "If we're going to the Fire Nation again…" she trailed off, uncertain of whether or not to say what was on her mind.

"You want to rescue your friends." Zuko finished for her. His hands dropped back down to his sides and he gazed off into space. "I don't know. I have to admit we could use the extra help in dealing with Zhao but it would cost us valuable time to rescue them." He thought for a moment. "Alright, here's what we'll do. If we can rescue them before nightfall then we will. It's almost dawn and Zhao won't start the ritual until night time. He always worked best under the cover of darkness. But if we can't…" He looked at Katara.

"I know." She whispered, not wanting to finish the sentence out loud.

"Wait, what about your wrist? I can't believe I forgot about it!" Zuko said, gently taking her injured hand. "You can't fight like this."

Katara was about to answer when she felt a strange heat spreading through her hand. At first she thought it was from Zuko but then she realized her hand was turning red. Zuko noticed it to and quickly let go, thinking he had caused it.

"What's going on?" he asked in confusion.

"I don't know!" Katara gasped. "Can I have a bowl of water? It feels like my wrist is burning!"

He quickly filled a small bowl with water and Katara gently set her hand in it. She was bout to say something when there was a flash. They both gasped in complete shock as the water was suddenly filled with a strange blue light that encircled Katara's wrist. It looped around and around it until suddenly there was a bright flash and it went out.

Katara raised her hand, shaking slightly. The burning hand stopped with the light and so had the pain. "I-I think it's healed." She gasped in amazement.

"You're a healer?" Zuko asked, equally shocked.

"I don't know! That's never happened before." Katara moved her wrist gently. They both sat in silence for awhile. Suddenly Katara looked up at Zuko and stared at him intently.

"Katara?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

Katara didn't answer. She was very still, then slowly she dipped her hand back into the water and raised it, dripping. She gently pressed her hand against his face.

"Katara? What are you-" Suddenly there was a second flash of light and Katara lowered her hand with a slight gasp. Zuko froze, hardly daring to believe the only explanation he could think of for what she had just done. Then slowly, shaking slightly, he raised himself from the bed and walked over to the tiny mirror on the wall. For a second he couldn't bring himself to look into it. Then with a deep breath he did.

His scar was gone.


	15. Shock

Chapter Fifteen

Zuko stood frozen in shocked silence, staring at the face looking back at him in the mirror. "It can't be…" he whispered, his fingers shaking as he gently traced the skin where his scar had been only moments before. Slowly he forced himself to look away from his unfamiliar reflection to stare at Katara.

"What did you do?" he whispered, still shaking with disbelief. "How-"

"I don't know. I'm sorry! I should have asked you first. I was just so excited to see if it would work." Katara glanced down sheepishly.

Suddenly Zuko grabbed her in a giant huge. Katara gasped in surprise. She had thought he was mad at her for not warning him of what she was going to try. "Thank you!" he said breathlessly, dancing around the room with her. "I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am!"

Katara laughed as he continued to twirl her. Despite everything that had happened she couldn't help but smile at the Prince's ecstatic face as he examined himself again in the mirror. He was like a little kid on Christmas, and though Katara would never admit it out loud, he looked very handsome with it gone.

"Prince Zuko, we've-" Uncle Iroh started to say as he poked his head in the door but when his nephew turned to face him his jaw dropped in surprise. "Prince Zuko!" Uncle Iroh cried, rushing in to look at him. "You're scar!"

"I know!" Zuko replied happily. "Apparently our friend here is a very powerful healer."

Uncle Iroh turned to look at Katara and smiled. "I always knew that there was more to you then meets the eye." He said pleasantly. "Thank you for what you have done." He turned back to Zuko while Katara blushed at all the attention she was suddenly receiving.  
"We have reached the fire nation." Iroh said.

Zuko sighed. "This isn't going to be easy." He looked up at Katara again. "But we'll give it all we've got." He took her hand and they followed Iroh out the door. "Let's go rescue your friends."


	16. The Rescue

Chapter Sixteen

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Zuko shouted, four hours later as he and Katara raced down a deserted street together, followed by a group of Fire Nation guards.

"At least we know they're in that building!" Katara shouted back, as she aimed a water whip that she had pulled from her canteen at the guards. Two fell back and Zuko finished the rest of the group off with a fireball.

The two teens stopped at the end of the street to catch their breath. They had finally found the building where the Aang and Sokka were located, but they had been seen in the process. Now the entire Fire Nation was on high alert to their presence.

"Ok," Zuko said, after he was finally able to breathe normally, "Here's what we'll do. One of us will serve as a distraction while the other steals the keys from the guard outside. Then we'll break into the room where they're keeping them and get away. Do you think that the Avatar has his flying….buffalo….thingy nearby?" Zuko asked.

Katara giggled in spite of herself at Appa being referred to as a buffalo. "I would think so."

"He'd better." Zuko mumbled to himself. "Or we won't have a very good escape route."

"Don't worry about it. It'll all work out. By the way," Katara continued, seeing that Zuko was about to say something, "I want to steal the keys."

"What? No!" Zuko said, staring at her in surprise. "It's too dangerous! There's no way I'm letting you do that."

"Well, would you rather me serve as a decoy? Come on, you have to admit that I'm lighter on my feet."

"I...but..." Zuko stammered. Finally he bit his lip in frustration. "Fine. But don't let yourself get caught. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"It won't." Katara reassured him. They crept back up the street, listening closely for more guards. "Zuko?"

"What?" Zuko asked, turning slightly to see what she wanted.

"Thank you." Katara said, kissing him gently on the lips, her hand drifting across the back of his neck. "For everything."

Zuko smiled in spite of himself. He held her gaze for a moment, his arms encircling her waist, then finally he let go and they continued out into the street. When they got close, Zuko gave her a slight nod and she slipped down a deserted street that led to the back of the temporary prison where Aang and Sokka were being held. Zuko darted down another alleyway and started shouting.

The moment he did, all the guards except the one holding the keys raced down the street. When they saw who it was, they let out a yell and quickened their pace. Zuko ducked into another alleyway and the guards faded from sight. Katara moved into action. She crept slowly up behind the only guard left. Slowly she reached forward. Suddenly she hit him across the back of the head in a move Zuko had taught her. Her form was flawless and he was unconscious before he even knew what hit him.

"Well at least I learned something useful." She muttered to herself. She reached down and slipped the keys out of his pocket, then drug his unconscious body behind the building so the guards would not realize right away that something was wrong.

She heard a noise and tensed her body for an attack as she crept towards the front of the prison again. To her surprise, Zuko was standing there.

"Where are the other guards?" Katara asked, blinking at him.

"They are currently visiting the land of unconsciousness." Zuko said with a little smirk.

Katara noticed that he was in a better mood since his scar had been healed. She hoped he'd stayed like this. She liked it when he was happy.

"Come on, let's get your friends. There's not a minute to lose." Zuko motioned her towards the prison door."

"You did get the keys, right?"

"Yes." Katara pulled them out and quickly unlocked the door. The two crept inside, listening closely in case there were more guards. The building was very small, however, and there was no one else in site.

"Aang?" Katara called softly. "Sokka?"

"Katara!" Sokka's surprised voice sounded from the doorway to the right. "Aang!" There was a muffled thump.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Aang's sleepy voice met their ears.

"Wake up! Katara's here!"

"Oh no! Was she captured to?"

"I don't know." Sokka suddenly sounded worried. "I'll ask. Hey Katara!" He shouted again. "Were you captu-" He didn't have to finish, however, for at that moment Katara and Zuko emerged from the shadows. In front of them was a small jail cell with only a cot inside. Aang was sitting on the cot and Sokka had his face pressed against the bars. There were fire nation symbols around the cell on the wall.

"Oh no!" Sokka groaned. "They got you too."

"Wha-, oh, no!" Katara said, realizing that he thought Zuko had captured her. "Zuko is with me. He agreed to help free you."

"He- wha- but-.." Sokka stammered, staring in surprise at them. Aang just stared at Zuko nervously. He had had many encounters with the fire bender before, and none had ended pleasantly. Zuko met his gaze without saying anything. Though he had made a promise, and he did not want to go back on his word, he was struggling very hard with the urge to capture the Avatar and run. After so many years of chasing him, it was hard not to, but he knew that he had to resist the urge.

"I know it's crazy, I'll explain it all later, but Zuko agreed to help us in exchange for some information on someone who was out to kill him, and to stop Zhao fro completing the ritual at the temple."

"But that's what he wants." Aang said quietly, still looking at Zuko. "Is for the ritual to be complete."

"Not anymore." Zuko said, speaking for the first time. "I must admit I don't exactly feel like we would be on what you would call friendly terms, but Zhao is evil and if he wants to complete this ritual so bad then there must be something to it that I do not know about. So I'm willing to call a truce for now."

Sokka just stared at them. Katara decided this was a good moment to open the door, before someone said something bad and they all got into a fight. She walked over to the door and inserted the key. She turned it and there was a click. The door sprang open and she held it as Sokka and Aang walked out. Sokka stood next to Katara, glaring at Zuko like he was daring him to fight, but to everyone's surprise, Aang walked slowly over to where Zuko was standing and stuck out his hand.

"Partners?" he asked, looking up at the older boy. Katara saw Zuko's eyes narrow as he stared at Aang's extended hand, but finally he reached his own out and shook Aang's.

"For the moment." He muttered and turned abruptly and walked outside. Katara sighed to herself; she wished he didn't have so much responsibility and pressure on him. She wanted to see him happy. For a moment she was caught up in a violent explosion of thoughts about the unfairness of the world and how she wished that for just a moment she and Zuko could be the only two in it, but then she noticed Sokka giving her a funny look, and she quickly shook her head and turned to follow Zuko out the door. Aang and Sokka followed her and soon the four found themselves back at the dock where Zuko's ship was waiting. They climbed on board silently. Katara noticed Aang looking slightly nervous as the door was shut behind them, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to comfort him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Katara?" Sokka whispered, coming up behind her.

Katara just shrugged. "What choice do we have?"

They walked in silence till they came to the room Katara had been staying in. Zuko pointed to a room across the hall. "You two can share that room." He said to Sokka and Aang. "We'll be at the temple soon enough. For now get some rest. You're going to need your strength if we're going to take out Admiral Zhao." With that he turned and walked back up the hall, leaving the three of them to their own contemplations.


	17. Caught

Chapter Sixteen

"Ok, is it just me or is there something different about Zuko?" Sokka whispered to Aang. They were lying on the cots in their room. Katara had went into her room across the hall and shut the door so they decided now was not the best time to ask questions.

"You really haven't figured it out by now?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Sokka frowned. "There is absolutely _no way _that you've figured out what's different before me because I haven't even figure-"

"His scar's gone."

"What! How- But-" Sokka sighed and glared at Aang. "Ok fine, you noticed first. But I would have if you hadn't been distracting me."

Aang grinned. "Whatever you say Sokka."

Across the hall Katara was lost in her own world. She was so confused. Part of her was glad to have rescued Aang and Sokka, yet, at the same time, a part of her was sad. She didn't understand it. She didn't want them to be prisoners and she didn't want to see Aang get hurt but at the same time she couldn't help but feel sad that her time alone with Zuko was over.

"You have to forget him Katara." She whispered to herself. "There's no future for the two of you, it isn't meant to be." She sighed and rolled over, brushing away a single tear that had slid down her cheek. She was too sad to cry anymore. She just wanted to go to sleep, where she could escape from the injustices of the world, if only for a few hours.

But no sooner had she closed her eyes then there was a knock at the door. She lifted her head and mumbled a soft "Come in."

The door swung open and Zuko walked in. Katara let her head fall back against the pillow; she was too tired to get up. Zuko sat down stiffly beside her, as if afraid that if he made a wrong move she would attack him. "Katara," he began, then hesitated. "I…I'm sorry. For everything. This whole mess and the fact that I'm from the Fire Nation and…and…just everything. I wish I could change things." He stood up and walked quickly towards the door to leave.

"Wait." Katara called after him, sitting up again. "We can't change any of that stuff, but you're here now, for the moment. Please stay and talk to me." She realized how dumb she probably sounded, but she wanted him to stay with her; who knew when she would see him again after this was over?

He turned back and just looked at her for a moment, his eyes tracing the outline of her body. He sat down beside her again on the bed, then to her surprise he lay down, pulling her against him. She let him and let her head rest against his chest, staring at the opposite wall as her thoughts spun around inside her head. She wished she could freeze time, she felt so safe in his arms, she never wanted to let him go. All the things that had happened in the past few months, dressing as a boy, getting caught, getting kissed, Sokka and Aang's capture, the rescue. She couldn't believe it had all happened and most of all she couldn't believe she had fallen in love with Prince Zuko. But she had. Absent mindedly her fingers traced the scar on her face from when she cut herself as part of her fire nation disguise. She felt Zuko's hand encircle her own and he ran the tip of his finger across the scar.

"Couldn't you heal that?" he asked. "Like you did mine?"

"I suppose I could." She said softly, closing her eyes as she felt the soothing warmth of his body against hers. "But I don't want to. I want to leave it there as a reminder of all that's happened."

He sighed softly and let his hand rest against her stomach. "If there was a way to keep you with me," he whispered in her ear, "I would do it in a heart beat and never let you go."

Katara smiled a sad smile. "I wish there was. Oh, how I wish there was."

"What ever happened to the rest of the soldiers you were training?" Katara asked after a while.

"They turned out to be working for Admiral Zhao." Zuko said bitterly. "Apparently you were the only one who was not sent by him to try and stop my getting to the temple."

"I'm sorry." Katara said softly.

"It doesn't matter. It looks like I don't need soldiers with me after all."

They lay in silence, each content to listen to the other one breath.

Katara didn't know how long they lay there. One minute she was lying on the bed thinking about how happy she was, if only for the moment, and the next she was waking up to the sounds of shouts on deck.

She felt movement and realized Zuko had fallen asleep and was waking up to. Shouts came from above and Katara realized they must have reached the temple. She yawned and felt Zuko's arms tighten around her. She knew she should be getting up but she didn't. She wanted this moment to last as long as possible.

Suddenly there was a THUD on the door.

"Katara! We've reached the temple! Now we can-" Sokka's voice filled the room but stopped abruptly as he realized what he was seeing. Katara and Zuko both jumped up and separated. Katara felt dread fill her. All she had wanted was to spend time with Zuko and now she had given her secret away.

Sokka stared at them in disbelief. "Katara?" he finally said, slowly, "What is going on?"

A/N: Ok guys, I need your input. Do you think the story is moving to slowly? I appreciate your opinions, no matter what they are. Thanks so much for all the reviews and interest in this story, you guys make it worth writing .And by the way, have I explained in detail about this thing that is at the temple? Im going to in the next chapter but I want to make sure I havent already and just forgot about it.


	18. Secrets Revealed

Chapter Seventeen

"Sokka…I…" Katara's voice faltered. She didn't know what to say. There was no lie she could tell that he would believe, and the truth wasn't looking very appealing. She was at a loss for words.

"What have you done?" Sokka hissed, staring at Zuko, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Sokka it's not what it looks like." Katara said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I…just-"

"Just what!" Sokka shouted. "Are you telling me that you _let_ him into your room? That you _wanted_ him to be here!"

Katara nodded slowly, her gaze on the carpet. Zuko took a step forward and started to say something but Sokka cut him off.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say! You low-life scum! I should have known something was going on when you helped rescue us but I was too stupid to see it! I can't believe this!" His cheeks were glowing with anger.

"Look if you would just stop yelling-" Zuko tried again but he had no better luck than the time before.

"Stop yelling? _Stop yelling!_ Why should I stop yelling!" Sokka took a step towards Zuko, pointing at him accusingly. "You good for nothing, lying, little-"

"Sokka, please!" Katara said in frustration. She was angry at him for ruining the moment and anger at herself for not telling him about it from the start. "Can't you just be happy for me? This is more than just a passing friendship, it means something to me!"

Sokka's jaw dropped and he started at her like he was seeing a completely different person. "Be happy for you?" he said, still in shock. "Be happy for you!" his voice rose as he got over the surprise of her last statement and his anger returned. "For _you_! You've been here playing lovey-dovey with the Prince while me and Aang are out getting captured, saving you from the Fire Nation when you went on your little soldier charade and we should just forget all that and be happy for you! Aang is in the next room, under constant threat of losing his powers and running the risk of getting himself and everyone he cares about killed every single day of his life because of _him_" Sokka pointed at Zuko again, "and you want us to be happy that you're living it up with the traitor. Fine then. Have all the fun you want. I'll be back in my room telling Aang what a wonderful friend you are." Sokka turned on his heel and marched out the door.

"No!" Katara ran after him and tackled him before he could open the door to the room that he and Aang shared. They crashed to the floor. "Sokka, please! Don't tell him yet!"

Sokka glared at her and started to say something. Katara cut him off.

"I know, I know. I have to tell him. And I will, but can we please wait until after we sort out everything with the artifact and the temple? _Please_ Sokka. It'll just upset him and he needs to be clear headed to fight Zhao. I don't want him to get hurt."

"Since when do you care about him getting hurt?" Sokka said, still glaring at her. "Fine. I won't tell him yet. But if you don't tell him after this whole mess is over then I will." Sokka pulled himself to his feet and marched into their room, slamming the door behind him.

Zuko knelt down and helped Katara up from where she was still sitting on the floor. She sighed. "This isn't good."

"No." he muttered. "It's not. Don't worry, he'll get over it."

"I hope so." Katara said, looking at the closed door, but she seriously doubted that Sokka would be willing to forgive her anytime soon. They turned and went back to Katara's room. They sat in silence, thinking.

After they had been there for some time there was a knock at the door. "Prince Zuko?" Iroh's voice called.

"Yes Uncle?" Zuko asked, as Katara smiled in spite of herself at the fact that Iroh had come to her room first instead of Zuko's to look for him.

"We're approaching the island. I believe it would be wise for us to assemble a strategy and it might be a good idea to share what information you have on the artifact and its powers with the rest of your…er…the others." Iroh finished, unable to think of a proper word for the unlikely group.

"Alright." Zuko stood up and Katara followed him out of the room. She stopped to knock on Aang and Sokka's door. Sokka opened it and frowned.

"Are we there?" he asked.

"Yes." Katara said, not quite meeting his eyes. "Zuko is going to explain what our strategy is. Where's Aang?" she asked, realizing for the first time he wasn't in the room with Sokka.

"I'm here." A voice behind her said. Katara turned to see Aang standing behind her. "I was…exploring. It's a really big ship."

They turned and followed Zuko down the hall to the room where Katara remembered the weapons and armor were stored in. Aang hung back from the group as he walked slowly behind them. His gaze followed Katara and he had a sad expression on his face. He glanced back at the room she had been staying in and at the room beside it where he had been hiding, listening to every word Katara, Sokka, and Zuko had said.

A/N: next chapter will be up soon promise! it'll probably be short since i need a fill-in chapter to explain the whole artifact thing but that just means i can get the the dramatic climax dun dun dun! of the story faster. it's all planned out in my head so wish me luck!


	19. The Legend

Chapter Eighteen

They all crowded into the armor room in silence. Zuko began handing them varies pieces of armor and weapons. There didn't seem to be a lot less since she had last seen it during training when she had masqueraded as a soldier. She wondered if the others had tried to sabotage it since they had been working for Zhao. It seemed so long since she had been here in disguise, like it was just a dream. She ran her fingers along the scar on her cheek to remind herself that it had not been. She looked up as she realized that Zuko was talking.

"Here, there's not much left but we have enough armor to serve as basic protection and some weapons. Before we go, however, I think you should all know exactly what this thing is that Zhao wants and what it can do." He gestured at some empty crates that were lying scattered on the floor. "Sit down. This could take a while." He walked over and sat on one. Katara followed him and sat down across from him. Sokka and Aang hesitated then finally walked over and sat down, Sokka by Katara and Zuko beside Aang.

"So what does this thing do?" Aang burst out, never one to be able to stand suspense for long. "Where did it come from? How will Zhao use it? What-"

"Alright, alright, I'm getting there." Zuko said, holding up a hand to stop the ambush of questions Aang was throwing at him. "Let me start at the beginning. This artifact, I've never actually seen it myself but I've heard enough about it from important Fire Nation officials to know that there is a good chance it exists. About one hundred and fifty years ago, it was created to help the four tribes, water, earth, air, and fire, to live in peace. They each gave up a sacred artifact so that it could be made and if any of the four tribes became to powerful then the other three would activate it and that tribe would be left powerless, all their benders would lose their skills. It was a very powerful item and had to be guarded so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."

"Yeah, and look how well that worked out." Sokka muttered.

Zuko glared at him and continued, "The Fire Nation was to guard it first. After ten years they passed it to the Water Nation. Then the Water Nation passed it to the Earth Nation and finally the Earth Nation passed it to the Air Nation, or the air benders which were led by the Avatar. When it reached the Fire Nation for the second time, however, rumors were spreading that the Water Nation was planning something. The tribes grew restless and began to suspect that the others would activate it without cause. The Fire Nation began to see that the other tribes were weak and that they would all be destroyed if something wasn't done. So they changed the artifact to destroy the Avatar and leave him powerless so they could take over and rule. Otherwise no one would be left. When it was time, however, the Avatar disappeared so there was no need for it. The Water Tribe insisted that the artifact be given to them. That was not possible so there was a battle which the Fire Nation won. After that the war that has been raging for one hundred years now was begun. The artifact was hidden in the temple and forgotten over time but now Zhao is going to try to activate it again. He has to have artifacts from the four tribes to reactivate it and now he does. That's why we must stop him because he could bend it to his will and destroy not just the Avatar but all of us." Zuko stopped and looked at the rest of them. They sat there, looking at him in silence. Katara was thinking about what he had said. _A battle between the Water Tribe and the Fire Nation._ She thought sadly _How can I ever be with him when our people are threatening each others lives a hundred years later?_

"Let's do this then." Aang said, in a voice that was far more serious than normal. Katara looked at him and felt like she was seeing him for the first time. _For such a young kid, he's grown so much._

"Fine." Zuko stood up and the four of them finished putting on their armor. "It took four groups to start this, four people can finish it." With that he turned and they followed him on deck as the island loomed ever closer.

A/N: Yes I know, it was short. I'm hard at work on the ending, I think there will be two more really long chapter and then an epilogue. I hope you like at and I hope the ending lives up to your expectations. Please tell me if there are any last minute details/events/whatever that I'm forgetting and I'll try to work them in. Thanks!


	20. Attack

Chapter Nineteen

Their footsteps were muffled by the fallen leaves as they walked in silence away from the shore of the island they had just landed on. Zuko was in the lead, followed by the other three. They hadn't said anything since they had left the ship. Uncle Iroh had stayed behind, Zuko had refused to let him come, he said it was too dangerous and didn't want anything to happen to him.

"We're almost there." Zuko said quietly, looking over his shoulder at the rest of them.

They walked on in silence, each looking cautiously around, on guard for any sign of movement besides there own. Katara tried to pay attention but she couldn't help thinking about Zuko. _When this is all over I have to leave him. How can I? I can't do it, I just can't._ She thought miserably. She sighed and lagged behind the others, not wanting anyone to talk to her at the moment. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the person following her quietly until they were right behind her.

Suddenly a hand clamped across Katara's mouth and her arm was twisted behind her back. She tried to scream but it was muffled and didn't attract the attention of the others, who were already disappearing out of sight over the next hill. Katara kicked back with all her might, hitting the person in the shins. There was a cry of pain and she dropped to the ground as the person released her. She spun around and crouched, waiting to spring.

A Fire Nation soldier stood in front of her, his fists flaming. "I can guess who you work for." Katara spat at him. She kicked out with her leg, trying to knock him off balance. He stepped back so that she missed him and aimed a fireball at her. She tried to dodge but she didn't have time. It hit her in the shoulder, the material of her dress bursting into flames. Katara screamed, the pain coursed through her, nothing had ever hurt this bad. She rolled onto her side, smothering the fire in the grass. She tried to get up but the pain hurt so badly. She felt dizzy and the world swam in front of her eyes.

Before she could recover, the soldier had grabbed her roughly and pulled her up again. "You're going to come with me," he hissed in her ear, "We'll have to hurry, thanks to your scream they'll have released your missing. And don't get any ideas. We wouldn't want you to get hurt any worse, now would we?" He sneered and turned around, half dragging Katara behind him. She jerked her arm back and screamed again, trying to hit him. He sighed and turned back around.

"Guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." He said and before Katara realized what he meant he hit her in the head and she passed out, falling to the ground. He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, then turned and disappeared into the forest.

"Did you hear that?" Sokka asked, looking back over his shoulder. He though he had heard a sound, like a cry, coming from behind them. Aang and Zuko stopped and turned to look back at him.

"Where's Katara?" Aang asked, looking around. They all looked back and panic began to spread as they realized that she was not there.

"AAAAHHH!" An earsplitting scream shattered the silence.

"There!" Zuko shouted, pointed off into the distance. "It came from that direction!" They all turned and ran as fast as they could towards the spot where the scream had come from. As they ran back down the side of the hill they had just climbed, they saw something on the ground. When they reached it Zuko signaled for them to stop.

"It's part of her dress." He said bitterly, looking at the ground. The grass was blackened in one spot where it had apparently been burnt and a strip of blue cloth was lying next to it. "Fire Nation guards." He muttered, looking around at the surrounding woods.

"Where did they take her? Is she ok?" Aang asked, fear in his voice.

"They went that way." Zuko said, putting into the woods. There was a foot print on the ground there and some of leaves on the near by trees were broken and knocked off from where someone had recently walked through them. "I think they might be trying to use her as bait. To lure us into a trap or ambush us. They won't have hurt her. They need her to help them trap us. Be on your guard."

"How do we know that _this _isn't a trap?" Sokka said angrily as Zuko started to walk into the woods. He turned back to look at the two boys behind him.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko snapped angrily.

"Maybe you planned this from the very beginning. Maybe you need to Avatar to make this artifact thingy work or maybe there isn't an artifact at all! You lured us here and now you're going to capture us so you can get to Aang!" Sokka glared at Zuko, hatred in his eyes.

"What!" Zuko took a step towards Sokka. "Do you honestly think I would go to the Fire Nation and risk my neck to save you just so I could capture the Avatar!" Tiny flames were springing up in his hands, unbidden, as he spoke.

"Yes! Yes I do! You're just the person who would be crazy enough to do that!" Sokka shouted at him.

"Guys…" Aang started to say, but was cut off by Zuko's retort.

"Yeah, well you would know all about being crazy wouldn't you! You're the dumbest person I've ever met, I can't believe that you actually think I would do that!"

"Oh yeah! Well for you information-" Sokka was cut off though by a giant gust of wind that sent both he and Zuko stumbling backwards. Aang stood there, glaring angrily at them, both hands raised.

"Do you want to save Katara or not?" he asked. "We have to work together!"

Zuko and Sokka glared at each other.

"Come on, shake hands and let's go."

"I'm not-" Sokka protested but was cut off again.

"I said shake hands!" Aang glared at the two.

Grudgingly they stepped forward and shook hands, quickly letting go again.

"I am not leading you into a trap." Zuko said, with as much self-control as he could muster. "I want to help."

"Fine." Sokka said, though he didn't sound convinced. "I don't guess I have much of a choice. Let's go." The three started quickly off through the woods, following the trail of footsteps that lead them towards where Katara must be.

They walked for a long time, the scenery around them never changing. Sokka felt very uneasy. Something just didn't seem right.

"There." Zuko said after what seemed like hours. He pointed through the trees and they could just make out a clearing in the distance. "I see something. That must be where they are."

"Why didn't they take Katara to the temple?" Aang asked. "If they're trying to trap us, especially me, wouldn't they want to be as near to the artifact as possible?"

"I don't know. Let's get closer." Zuko motioned and they crept as near the edge of the clearing as they dared. "Stay quiet."

They looked out between the trees. Sokka gasped at what he saw in front of them.

"That's why." Zuko said in a hushed voice, staring in amazement.

In front of them was a platform made out of stone that was old and cracking. It was set in the middle of the clearing. Woods were on all sides of it except for one. Behind it the land dropped off into what they assumed was a cliff. There were broken columns around the platform that looked like they had once held up a roof but it was long gone. Only the base of what must have been a building was left. A short set of stairs were cut into the stone, leading up to the platform that had once been the floor of the building. It was surrounded by Fire Nation guards and Admiral Zhao himself was standing on the ruins, a smirk on his face. What surprised them the most, however, was what was in the middle of the giant platform. It was a column that looked as if it had been moved there recently. Around it were four smaller columns, each one with something on it that they couldn't see clearly. There was an object setting on the larger column, however, and they had no trouble guessing what it was.

"The artifact." Aang whispered in surprise. It was a large sculpture made out of something that looked like glass or marble. It resembled some kind of animal but they could not have said what. It was very curvy and smooth. It's beauty, though, came from it's most amazing quality. It seemed to be made of the four elements themselves. As the three watched, it seemed to swirl like water, burn like fire, twirl like the wind, and crumble like the earth. As they stared at it, it twisted and turned, changing shape and make graceful movements around itself, always changing yet never quite losing its original shape.

"Wow." Was all Sokka could say. "That has got to be some very powerful magic."

"Yes." Zuko agreed, staring at the thing he had originally set out to use. "But look, Zhao's corruption is taking its toll." They looked again and realized that what must once have been beautiful colors had turned black. Swirls of black rippled across its surface and sent chills through the air.

"He's changing it." Zuko whispered. "To work against you." He glanced at Aang. "Whatever is on those other four columns are the artifacts from each of the tribes. I recognize the dragon statue he stole from me. But the transformation's not complete. Once it is the item will lose all its beautiful quality and be still. Something must be missing." He frowned and squinted at the other artifacts.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Sokka muttered. "But where is-"

"Katara!" Aang cried, forgetting to keep his voice down.

"Shh!" Zuko hissed quickly, glancing at where Aang was looking. They had not seen her at first, probably because they were too transfixed by the artifact in the middle. But now they realized that there was a final column behind the artifacts and Katara was there, tied to it, her hands behind her back. She was glaring in anger at Admiral Zhao who was standing to the left.

"We have to find a way to get to her." Aang whispered.

"And to stop Zhao from getting any farther with the ritual." Zuko added.

"But I still don't understand." Sokka muttered, "Why aren't they at the temple? You were leading us the other way so the temple must be there….right?" He glanced suspiciously at Zuko.

"It is." Zuko gestured the way they had just come from. "I'm sure of it. This is just the ruins of some other building from long ago. I don't know why there here but we have to move fast."

"How can we stop Zhao?" Aang asked.

"Oh, I don't think you can." A new voice came from behind them. The three spun around to see Admiral Zhao himself standing behind them, his hands in flames. "So sorry to beat you here Prince Zuko but I knew you wouldn't be able to go through with this ceremony yourself, and I was right." He smirked at Zuko, who glared back, fire starting in his hands.

Suddenly Aang sprang at Admiral Zhao, surprising them all, and knocking him off balance. He sent a gust of air at him, knocking him forward where he stumbled and fell into the clearing. There was a shout and the Fire Nation soldiers ran towards the woods.

"Well it looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." Zuko muttered. "We might as well fight in the open. It'll be easier to get a good shot."

The three raced into the clearing and, what had been a fairly peaceful scene only moments before, erupted into shouts and fighting.

"Aang!" Katara shouted, as Zhao picked himself up and made a grab for the Avatar. Aang dodged and knocked Zhao of his feet with another gust of wind. Sokka narrowly avoided being scorched by a fire ball that one of the guards had aimed at him. He yelled in rage at punched the guard in the face, knocking him down. Zuko circled Zhao who had finally regained his balance.

"Glad you showed up Prince Zuko," Zhao said sarcastically, "I will get much joy out of beating you _and_ the Avatar in one day."

"We'll see about that." Zuko muttered. He aimed a kick at Zhao who dodged and threw a fireball back. Soon the air was filled with shouts and flames as Zuko and Zhao tried to defeat the other by any means possible.

Aang knocked a guard backwards where he hit his head on a tree and collapsed, unconscious onto the ground. "Aang!" Katara shouted again, as a guard threw another ball of flame at him. Aang managed to dodge but in doing so he was knocked to the ground. The guard pressed his foot against Aang's throat, pinning him down.

"Take that you little- AHH!" He screamed as Sokka jumped attacked him from behind. He lifted his foot to swing at Sokka and Aang grabbed it, hurling the guard into the woods where he lay unconscious like his companion.

"There's only two more guards left!" Sokka shouted.

"What about Zhao?" Aang asked, glancing over at the spot where Zuko and Zhao were still fighting.

"We'll worry about him later. I think Zuko can handle it." Sokka said. "You take that one!" He motioned to a guard behind Aang. He ran towards the other guard, yelling a war cry. Aang flipped backwards through the air, landing behind the guard. Before he could make his move, however, there was a shout.

Zuko had been hit by a blow from Admiral Zhao. He went flying through the air, landing several feet away on his back. He lay there gasping for air.

"Zuko!" Katara screamed. Zhao walked over to him, smirking.

"Well, well. Looks as if this fight is over." Zhao hauled Zuko to his feet. Zuko attempted to break free, kicking out, but he didn't have the energy and Zhao punched him in the stomach, knocking him back against the platform.

"Stop it!" Katara screamed again, tears on her face. Zhao just smiled coldly at her and half dragged the barely conscious Zuko onto the platform next to her.

"Don't worry." Zhao said with a cold smile, "I'll make sure to kill him quickly." Katara's eyes met Zuko's and she stared at him, struggling against the ropes that held her, trying in vain to free herself and save Zuko.

"Come on!" Sokka shouted. He and Aang made a dash for the platform but were stopped by the two guards. Sokka was about to attack them when Zhao spoke.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said, glaring at Sokka and Aang. "After all, I wouldn't want the young lady to have to pay for something you did." He dropped Zuko to the ground, kicking him in the stomach. Zuko groaned, his eyes closing half way.

Zhao stood beside Katara, his hands burning with fire. She glared at him but he ignored her. Sokka and Aang both froze, unsure what to do next. The two guards they had been about to attack grabbed them from behind. They didn't struggle for fear Zhao would hurt Katara.

"She has nothing to do with any of this!" Aang shouted angrily. "It's me you want. Let's fight it out, just you and me!"

"Oh I will." Zhao said. "But there's something I have to do first." To their surprise he suddenly cut the ropes that bound Katara. She landed on her knees. She stood up quickly but before she could attack Zhao he had grabbed Zuko and dragged him backwards. Katara didn't know what to do. She knew attacking him would only hurt Zuko. It seemed there was no way out.

"You see there is one part of the ceremony that young Prince Zuko has forgotten." Zhao said, a sneer on his face. "It is true that you must have all of the artifacts and that there is a temple on this island. But we chose to come here so you four would find us. Of course you were the bait." Zhao smirked at Katara who felt a deep hatred boiling inside her. "But what Prince Zuko has forgotten, is that to activate the artifact, there must be a living sacrifice. And to turn this object against the Avatar, I need someone from the nation that who will control the artifact." His smirk widened as he say the sudden shock of realization on their faces. "And so, that means, the Fire Nation."

"No!" Katara screamed. She threw herself at him. She managed to hit him in the face before he grabbed her and threw her off the platform to the ground. Aang punched the guard who had him and ran to Katara. Sokka struggled with the remaining guard while Aang helped Katara up.

"We won't let him Katara." Aang said. "I know how much you care about Zuko."

Katara stared at him in surprise. Sokka broke free of the guard and the three rushed towards the platform.

"Fools! Do you actually think you can beat me? Well think again." Katara looked up into Zuko's eyes. The only thing keeping him from sliding to the ground again was Zhao who had a firm grip on his arm. Zuko's half-open eyes met Katara's and he stared at her as if she was the only person in the world. A strange look of peace seemed to come over him as he looked at her.

Katara tore her gaze away from Zuko and looked at Zhao again. For a moment everything seemed frozen. Then she realized what was in his hand. He had a knife.

"I want you to suffer." He hissed at Zuko.

"Zuko!" Katara screamed and she, Sokka, and Aang began to run again. Katara ran as fast as she could but she seemed so far away. She was oblivious to everything around her. All she could see was Zhao and Zuko. The world seemed to move in slow motion. She saw Zhao raise his hand. Zuko never took his eyes of her face but she didn't notice. She was screaming but she wasn't even sure what she was saying. Her only thought was to reach Zuko.

As she watched things seemed to move so slowly. She reached out her hand. _If only I can reach the platform, if only I can reach the platform…_ But then Zhao's arm was moving, swinging towards Zuko. And then, with fury burning in his eyes like flames, he stabbed him.

Katara froze, jolting backwards in complete shock. She stared. Slowly blood began to pour from the wound. A triumphant grin appeared on Zhao's face and he let go of Zuko. He slid slowly down, falling silently on his back, the blood running down his armor and across his hands. He had made no sound. Not when the knife went in, not now as Katara's scream pierced the air.

"Nooooo!" Katara screamed, running again towards Zuko. "Zuko! Please! No!" She raced for the steps but Aang beat her there. He lunged at Zhao who dodged easily, a terrible smile still on his face.

"Give up Avatar." He said. "I have won." Katara ignored them bother and rushed to where Zuko lay. She cupped his face in her hands and stared at him, tears streaming down her face and blurring her vision.

"Zuko," she whispered, "No. Please don't leave me. Please!" Her voice broke. He slowly opened his eyes and his gaze rested on her.

"I'm sorry Katara." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She tried to speak, to say that he would make it but already his life was pouring out of him on the crimson blood. She reached for his hand, not even fully aware of what she was doing. Her fingers closed around it, ignoring the blood that smeared against her own skin. She let her head drop, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. She opened them again and looked at Zuko. She reached with trembling fingers for the knife. As she did, however, she noticed something on the ground beside him. She stared at it.

On the ground was a mark. It was carved into a perfectly round circle in the ground, indented slightly. She wouldn't have noticed it at all but there was something familiar about it. At first she couldn't think what. Suddenly she gasped. It was the same symbol from her mother's necklace. As she stared at it, a long forgotten memory slowly began to surface in her mind. Something her grandmother has said about the necklace. A story she had told her as a child. Her grandmother's voice filled her head as she tried to remember what she had said about it. Katara gasped as it suddenly came back to her. Her hand went to the neck lace around her necklace. She ripped it from her neck and stared from the mark on its stone to the mark carved beside Zuko.

"You'll never win!" Zhao shouted at Sokka and Aang, laughter filling the air. He stepped back, easily dodging a blow from Aang. He was not prepared from a blow from Sokka, however, and stumbled backwards. Aang blasted him with air that sent him flying. He landed behind the platform. He stood up.

"You fools! You think that you could beat me? An admiral?" He smirked and took a step backwards, into a fight stance, but he had forgotten about the cliff. His back foot slipped back, sending rocks tumbling down to the valley far below. With a shout he tried to right himself. But it was too late. As they watched, Zhao lost his balance. Slowly he began to fall backwards. Then he disappeared over the edge, never to bother them again.

There was a noise beside her and Katara looked back at Zuko.

"I'm sorry." He whispered again, his voice barely audible and his eyes began to close.

"No!" Katara screamed. She grabbed her necklace again. It was the only hope she had. She closed her eyes for a second. _Please let this work!_ She begged. She plunged the stone of the necklace against the carving beside.

A great wind began to blow. Then there was a flash of light and they all disappeared.

A/N: Whew! That was hard work! I've been writing on this chapter for hours. Hope you like it! I think this may get the record for my longest chapter yet. Don't worry. I'll have the next chapter up very soon! I'm not going to have an epilogue. So the next chapter will be the last.


	21. Going Back

Chapter Twenty-One

Katara opened her eyes slowly. Bright light was pouring down on her and she squinted around her in confusion. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the light that she realized was sunshine. She looked down. She was standing on a dock wearing guy's clothes.

_What happened?_ She wondered groggily. _Where am I? What- Zuko!_ Her brain suddenly shouted and everything that had happened came rushing back. Zhao was dead, Zuko was dying. Her necklace. The mark. Had it worked?

Her grandmother's voice floated through her head again. It was a story she told Katara when she had first given her the necklace. _Katara, I want you to have this necklace. It is special. Do you know what the mark on it stands for? Time. Legend says that there was a man long ago who came across a dying spirit. He gave his life for the spirit so that it could live and continue to bring order to the world. In exchange for his sacrifice, it gave the gift of time to the people. Anyone who uses this symbol in a place marked by the symbol of time can change time, twist it, even turn it backwards, to change something that has happened and should not have. But only those with pure hearts, pure intentions can do it. And that is why no one has ever done it before; those who seek it all have evil reasons for doing so. So they never find it._

Katara's head swam. She had always loved to hear that story, but she had thought that was all it had been, a story. As she looked around her, however, she slowly began to wonder if there was some truth in it. It was rare, but the spirits sometimes did great things for people who needed it. Could it be possible that she had actually turned back time?

"Look if you're here to be trained as a Fire Nation soldier then line up!" A voice shouted above the rest.

Katara turned with a jolt. Slowly her hand rose to her face and there felt cloth covering a wound on her cheek. She suddenly realized where she was. Before her loomed Zuko's ship. _The day I first joined. _She thought to herself. If this was all true, then if she just looked to her right she would see Zuko standing there, but she was afraid to, so afraid. If it wasn't true, if by some chance of fate she hadn't went back in time, then he would be dead, and she would never see him again.

She had heard other things to about time. If someone was killed then they could never come back, no matter what happened. But Zuko hadn't been dead yet. Admiral Zhao had, she had seen that happen herself. But Zuko had still been hanging on to life when she had made her desperate attempt to save him. Had it been enough?

Slowly, holding her breath, her heart beating so fast from fear that it hurt, she turned her head to look. For a second she didn't see him and a terrible cold swept over her.

Then, there he was. For what seemed like an eternity she simply stared at him. The scar was back on his face since at this point in time she had not removed it yet, but it didn't matter. She had never seen him look more handsome or alive then he did at that moment. Her hurt skipped a beat and she let out a slight gasp, causing him to glance away from the boy he was examining and look at her. There eyes met and Katara had to resist the urge to cry out with all her might. _He's alive!_ Her mind screamed, _He's really alive!_ She felt as if she would burst into a million pieces and float away right there. But she managed to keep from saying anything; a terrible thought had crossed her mind. There was a very good chance that no one but her remembered anything that had happened. She had been the one to reverse time, and she had a strange feeling that only those who activated the symbol would remember what had happened.

Zuko looked at her for a moment, then turned back to the boy in front of him and gestured him to go on bored the ship, moving on to the next in line.

Katara felt as if her heart was breaking all over again. She turned to leave. Zhao was still dead, even if no one would ever find out exactly what had happened to him. She had no need to board the ship. Zuko had said the boys he trained had ended up working for Zhao and since he was gone they would have no reason to stay after they learned the news. There was still the artifact to deal with though. There was a chance that Zuko might reactivate it, but Katara couldn't think about it right now. She was too exhausted to worry about it. It was bad enough that she would never be with Zuko. She would never again feel his arms around her, or hear his voice whispering in her ear.

She quickly started away from the ship. If she stayed any longer she knew that she would start to cry.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice said behind her. She turned to see Zuko standing there looking at her.

"I-I…" Katara tried to think of what she could say. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a soldier."

He stared at her, looking at her closely. For a second she thought she saw a change come over him but it was gone when she looked back and she decided that she had imagined it. Finally he turned back to the others and she walked away. Once she was safely hidden by the dense foliage of the forest, she fell against a tree, sobbing uncontrollably. She tried to muffle the sound but it was impossible. She was hurt to badly. Her heart ached for the boy she could never have and she swore to herself that she would never love again.

"It's better than dead." She told herself when she had finally cried herself out. She glanced back over her shoulder towards the ship, "At least he will live." She slowly turned back around. She had to go find Sokka and Aang. They would be waking up and reading the note she had left them about sneaking onto the Fire Nation ship in disguise. She'd have to think of an excuse as to why she didn't go.

Yet her feet wouldn't move. She stayed rooted to the spot, unwilling to just walk away. "He doesn't remember you," she snapped angrily at herself, fresh tears flowing silently, "There's nothing you can do." She closed her eyes to try and stop the tears.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and was shocked to see Zuko standing there. Her heart skipped a beat.

"We're short on soldiers." He said, looking at her. "We could use another."

She tried to keep her voice steady when she answered. "Sorry. I'm not interested anymore."

"That's too bad. I think we would have gotten along well together, Katara."

She half turned to leave, but suddenly froze as the realization of what he had just said hit her. She stood staring ahead of her, not daring to believe it. Then she felt his hands gently wrap around her waist and pull her back against him.

"Did you think I could ever forget you?" he whispered in her ear. "Not even time can erase my memories of that."

Katara turned slowly to look at him. She was so completely overwhelmed with joy she had no idea how to react. She had thought she had lost him forever and now he was back, he was hers. Slowly she felt herself hugging him, pressing against him, as hard as she possibly could, crying all over again. He pulled her tighter and let his head rest on top of hers. He ran his hand gently across her back. She looked into his eyes and he kissed her for what seemed to last forever. When they finally broke apart he wrapped his arm around her waist and they began to walk through the woods.

"I thought…" Katara's voice trailed off, she was still so overcome with emotion.

"You were touching my hand." Zuko said, pulling her closer as they walked. "I've heard the stories about time from my Uncle. Supposedly only those who try to change it will remember what happened. But you grabbed my hand at the last second and it must have thought that I was trying too. At first I was confused, I didn't remember. But then I saw your face as you were leaving, so much pain in it, and it all came back to me." He kissed her again and wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"I love you Katara." He whispered.

"I love you Zuko." She whispered back, letting her head rest against his shoulder as they continued on in the direction of the camp where Aang and Sokka would be waking up.

"So Zhao is really gone." Katara said. "Sokka and Aang won't remember anything that happened."

"No, I guess not." Zuko said. Suddenly the trees parted and they realized that they had walked into the clearing where the two boys were. They were awake and had apparently just read the note Katara had left.

"Katara! What were you thinking!" Sokka shouted angrily. "I- what in the world is _he _doing here!" He and Aang stared in surprise at Zuko and Katara.

Zuko looked at Katara. "So what are you going to tell them?" he asked her softly so that the other two couldn't hear.

She thought back to when Sokka had discovered them on the ship and the shock she had felt when she found out Aang had already known about her and Zuko somehow. _If there's one thing I've learned from all this,_ she thought to herself, _It's that you shouldn't try to hide things from your friends. They'll understand eventually, even if they don't believe me at first. _

She looked up at Zuko and smiled. "The truth."

A/N: Ok I think I might write a short epilogue. What do you guys think? Let me know if you think it should have one and I'll decide based on what the majority says. But since the story is basically over I'd love to hear what you thought of it. I love reviews, especially long ones, even if you didn't like it. It helps me to improve on my writing and they make me happy lol. Thanks you guys, you're what keep the story going.


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

Three weeks later they all sat around a blazing fire in the middle of a clearing. Katara glanced at the back of Zuko's head and smiled to herself as she watched him drop another piece of wood into the leaping orange flames. She couldn't help but smiling every time she looked at him. She wanted to laugh, it was all so girlish of her and yet she loved every minute of it.

Sokka and Aang were sitting across from the two of them, both full from the large meal Zuko had brought them from his ship. Sokka and Aang had been furious when they had found out about Zuko and Katara. _Actually, _Katara thought, _it was more like Sokka wouldn't speak to me for a week and Aang was quiet for a few days but then got over it. _

"So," said Sokka, finally breaking the comfortable silence, "You leave tomorrow." He nodded in Zuko's direction and Katara couldn't help but notice a brief look of relief pass across his face.

"Well you don't have to look so happy about it." Katara said, leaning over to punch him in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" Sokka yelped. "Geez, I think training was a bad idea. You shouldn't be that strong." Katara laughed at the look at his face. They had told Sokka and Aang the entire story of what had happened. Sokka had also been very mad about her training but she figured that was just cause she could now kick his butt.

Katara sighed and looked down as Zuko began to talk to Sokka about leaving the next day. It was true that he was leaving. Even after all that had happened to them, it was still true that Zuko was a Prince of the Fire Nation, Aang was still the Avatar, and Katara was still a water bender. Zuko had promised to come visit her as much as possible and she had smiled and said ok but she knew it wouldn't be like that. How could they see each other? How would she even know where to find him?

_I'm you'll see him again. _She tried to reassure herself. _After all, he always seemed to be popping up unexpectedly before. _But she was still sad that he was leaving. She didn't know where he would go either. It was sort of an unspoken agreement that he wouldn't be chasing Aang anymore but Katara didn't know what he would do. That had been his life. How could he just give it up?

Meanwhile Zuko was having the same thoughts as he poked the fire with a stick. _What will I do now? _He wondered. Katara had wanted him to stay with them but he just couldn't do that. He loved her more than anything but even though he was no longer planning to capture the Avatar, he couldn't bring himself to help him train to beat the Fire Lord. He couldn't turn against his father; even after all he had done to him. He would let the Avatar go but he couldn't help him. He just couldn't.

"Well I think I'm going to go to bed now," Aang said with a yawn, "I'm really tired. Aren't you Sokka?"

"What?" Sokka looked at him in confusion. "No. I'm wide as awake as-"

"Ahem!" Aang coughed, and nodded in Katara and Zuko's direction. "Yes. You. Are." He said, raising his eyebrows up and down. Katara stifled a laugh.

"Oh! Yeah," Sokka said, finally catching on, "Yeah I am. Good night Katara." He and Aang stood up and walked off, leaving the two teenagers alone.

Katara scooted over closer to Zuko until she was leaning her head against his shoulder. He sighed in contentment and stroked her hair gently with his hand.

"I'm sorry I have to go." He whispered.

Katara was quiet for a while, unsure what to say. "I'll miss you." She said finally.

"Don't worry; I'll see you again soon." He said firmly. "I'll make sure of it. And everyone will just think that I'm chasing the Avatar so I can follow you and see you again."

"There's not really anyone to pay much attention to that know that Zhao is gone." Katara replied.

"No, but soon people will realize something happened to him." Zuko said. "And my father might send spies. After all this blows over then I can spend time with you more often."

"I hope so." Katara said, willing herself not to cry. At least he wasn't leaving her forever like he would have if his memory had been gone. _I'll see him again. _Katara told herself. _And maybe there will come a time when it won't matter if we're seen together. _She looked up at him and took his face in her hands.

"I love you." She whispered, kissing him on the lips.

"Love you too." He whispered back, taking her in his arms. _I'm giving up the Avatar for this._ He thought as their kiss deepened as the fire slowly died. _It's worth it. _He realized. _It's definitely worth it._

**The End**

A/N: And there you have it. I actually finished it throws confetti I can't believe I have over two hundred reviews! You guys are so awesome. I would do a shout out but there are just too many people. I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing and for helping me with the story. The people who said I inspired them in their writing made me feel really good and thanks for having such an interest in an epilogue. You guys are the best and who knows, maybe some day I'll make a sequel. Until then, thanks and good luck with your own stories.


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